New Delhi: A fact-finding team formed to assess the ground situation in Arunachal Pradesh have alleged that Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel have effectively denied Indian forces access to key patrolling points in the Taksing area of Upper Subansiri district, and are steadily expanding control over Indian grazing and hunting grounds along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), The Arunachal Times reported.The People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) constituted a four-member fact-finding committee, comprised former minister Kahfa Bengia, PPA vice-president Kaling Jerang, and secretaries Sorang Kiokam and Narah Jimmy, after reports of alleged encroachment into the Indian territory by China’s PLA.The PPA is a regional political party in opposition in the state.The concerns also come amid a latest diplomatic exchange over 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh. India has rejected China’s description of its decision to formally identify 27 locations and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh as “illegal, null and void”, reiterating that the state is an “inalienable and integral part of India” and that nothing could alter this position.According to the committee, Indian security forces maintain patrolling in the Taksing area throughout the year but regular patrolling is usually conducted between April and October due to inclement weather and heavy rainfall during other months.The committee reportedly visited the area on July 10 and interacted with local residents of Taksing, Maza and Galemo, besides senior defence personnel and Army jawans stationed in the area.One of the key areas of concern is Shera 5 Point, a designated Indian patrolling point, where, according to local accounts, PLA troops have denied access to Indian patrols. Indian and Chinese troops had a physical confrontation at the site in 2023. The Indian forces subsequently withdrew and have not returned. PLA troops later reportedly entered and dismantled the remaining Indian markers.Similarly, Nanga Pahar, traditionally used by the Nah and Mara communities for hunting and yak rearing, has been declared a strictly prohibited zone for local residents.“This restriction,” the committee noted, “has given the PLA greater freedom to push forward. The nature of the intrusions is well calculated, gradual and persistent, following a familiar pattern seen over several years.” The PPA said the findings raise serious concerns over the security and strategic presence in the frontier area along the Line of Actual Control.Concerns were raised in late June, when the Nah Welfare Society, a tribal organisation, alleged that the PLA had expanded its presence in areas traditionally used by local communities near Taksing.The Indian Army subsequently rejected the allegations, saying reports claiming recent Chinese encroachment and the setting up of camps in Arunachal Pradesh were “incorrect and without any basis”.Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu has also rejected reports. On August 8, he said there were “no signs of encroachment in Arunachal Pradesh” and that the Indian Army was effectively patrolling and safeguarding the territory.Reacting to the reports, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi called the situation “unacceptable” and demanded clarity from the government over the issue.“The @narendramodi government needs to come clear on what is happening on the border in Arunachal Pradesh. The information it has provided so far is inadequate and meant to obfuscate. If the Chinese forces have entered our territory, blocked our patrols from going to areas they always went to, and pitched tents, our people need to be told the truth. The current situation is unacceptable,” he wrote on X.The @narendramodi government needs to come clear on what is happening on the border in Arunachal Pradesh. The information it has provided so far is inadequate and meant to obfuscate. If the Chinese forces have entered our territory, blocked our patrols from going to areas they…— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) August 12, 2026He compared the situation to Doklam and Ladakh, saying the country would “not want a repeat now”.