India updates official maps to flag three Arunachal sites under Chinese control

India’s official Survey of India maps now delineate several contested pockets along the Arunachal Pradesh frontier, identifying Asaphila, Longju and Maja as being under illegal Chinese occupation. Maja is notable because the Indian Army maintained a forward post there prior to the 1962 conflict, which was later vacated and treated as disputed territory. The People's Liberation Army has erected structures in the mountainous area and built a road through Bisa, linking two frontier points.

Additional Chinese activity has been recorded at Yangtse, where a transgression occurred in 2016, and at the historic Thag La pass in Tawang. Sensitive zones such as Dichu in Anjaw and the Fishtail-1 and Fishtail-2 features remain mapped but unoccupied. Officials say the mapping serves as a formal record to bolster India’s position against any attempts to alter the status quo.