Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Sunday, July 5, 2026, congratulated the combined teams of Gajraj Corps, Sela Warriors, and the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) for successfully summiting Bajrang Peak (5,583 metres) under Operation Arunoday, calling the achievement 'remarkable and historic.' The expedition traversed the Thingbu route and was flagged off on June 26, 2026, marking a significant civil-military milestone in India's frontier regions.

Context

Operation Arunoday is a pioneering civil-military mountaineering expedition that brought together units of the Indian Army's IV Corps (Gajraj Corps), headquartered in Tezpur, Assam, along with personnel from NIMAS, based in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh. The team scaled Bajrang Peak via the historically significant and technically demanding Thingbu route, completing the mission within days of its launch on June 26. Chief Minister Khandu described the feat as a demonstration of how 'civil-military synergy can transform remote frontiers into hubs of responsible adventure tourism.'

NIMAS is India's premier adventure-sports training institution, and its collaboration with Army formations in the Northeast has deepened over the past decade. The Thingbu route, noted for its historical and geographical significance, added an extra layer of challenge and prestige to the ascent.

Policy Backdrop

The expedition sits squarely within India's sustained push since 2014 to deepen civil-military cooperation in Arunachal Pradesh, linking operational border security with economic activities such as adventure tourism. Indian Army formations in the Northeast have run joint mountaineering programmes with state institutes since the mid-2010s, combining border familiarisation with tourism promotion along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

This initiative also aligns with broader national frameworks — including the Vibrant Villages Programme and the Act East Policy — that seek to integrate remote frontier districts into mainstream economic activity. By opening high-altitude routes to structured adventure tourism, the government aims to generate livelihoods for border communities while reinforcing India's presence in strategically sensitive areas.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of Operation Arunoday span multiple groups: defence forces gain enhanced terrain familiarity and community goodwill; adventure tourism operators gain a high-profile, government-endorsed route; and border villages stand to benefit from increased footfall and economic activity. The successful summit of Bajrang Peak is expected to spotlight Arunachal Pradesh as a destination for responsible high-altitude trekking and mountaineering.

NIMAS plays a central role as the institutional bridge between military expertise and civilian adventure sports, lending credibility and trained manpower to such expeditions. The involvement of Gajraj Corps — the Army's primary formation responsible for LAC security in the state — underlines the strategic dimension of the exercise beyond mere sport.

What's Next

The success of Operation Arunoday is likely to accelerate Arunachal Pradesh's state adventure-tourism policy rollout, with further expeditions by Gajraj Corps and NIMAS anticipated in the 2026-27 calendar. Chief Minister Khandu's public endorsement signals strong political will to institutionalise such civil-military collaborations as a template for frontier development. If replicated across other high-altitude districts, the model could redefine how India's northeastern border regions are developed, secured, and connected to the national tourism economy.