CM Samrat Choudhary salutes ITBP on Foundation Day
Synopsis
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary greeted Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawans on their 64th Foundation Day on 24 October 2026, honouring the force's courage and dedication on India's high-altitude China border.
Key Takeaways
ITBP Foundation Day falls on 24 October every year, marking the force's raising in 1962 during the Sino-Indian War.
Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary extended greetings on X , calling ITBP jawans' courage and dedication 'a source of inspiration for all'.
The ITBP operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and guards the Line of Actual Control with China.
ITBP personnel are deployed at altitudes exceeding 18,000 feet in extreme Himalayan conditions.
Indian political leaders across parties routinely salute Central Armed Police Forces on their raising days.
Sixty-four years after it was born out of the crucible of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) marks its Foundation Day on 24 October 2026 — and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary used the occasion to pay tribute to the force guarding India's most forbidding frontier.
Posting on X in Hindi, Chief Minister Choudhary extended warm greetings to every ITBP jawan, writing: 'आपका अदम्य साहस, समर्पण और राष्ट्र के प्रति निष्ठा हम सभी के लिए प्रेरणास्रोत है' — 'Your indomitable courage, dedication and loyalty to the nation are a source of inspiration for all of us.'
Raised in war, forged on the heights
The ITBP was raised on 24 October 1962, just days into the Sino-Indian War, with a single urgent mandate: secure the Himalayan border with China. Today the force operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs as a Central Armed Police Force, deploying personnel across some of the world's highest and harshest terrain along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Its jawans guard passes that sit above 18,000 feet, in temperatures that drop well below freezing for months at a stretch.
Beyond border vigil, the ITBP has a parallel identity as a first-responder force — its mountaineer-trained battalions have led disaster-relief missions in Himalayan states, from earthquake rescues to flood operations.
A political ritual with real resonance
Indian leaders across party lines routinely mark the raising days of Central Armed Police Forces with public messages — a tradition that keeps civilian-military solidarity visible. For CM Choudhary, a senior BJP leader, the salute carries the added weight of a government that has made border infrastructure and security forces a consistent rhetorical and policy priority since 2014.
The tribute is brief, but the force it honours is not. Every Foundation Day is a reminder that the high ridgelines of Ladakh, Himachal and Uttarakhand are not abstract lines on a map — they are posts, and there are people standing on them.
Point of View
But the gesture sits within a larger BJP narrative that has consistently linked border security with national pride and governance credibility. For CM Samrat Choudhary, whose political base is in Bihar — a state with a long tradition of military service — honouring a frontier force resonates with a key voter constituency. The ITBP's strategic role along the LAC has grown in salience since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, making Foundation Day messaging more substantive than routine ceremony. Any future announcements on ITBP expansion or modernisation will be watched against this backdrop of elevated India-China border sensitivity.
NationPress
24 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the ITBP founded and why?
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police was raised on 24 October 1962 , in direct response to the Sino-Indian War, to guard India's Himalayan border with China.
What is ITBP Foundation Day?
ITBP Foundation Day is observed on 24 October each year to commemorate the raising of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police in 1962. It is marked by parades, tributes from political leaders, and recognition of jawans' service.
What does the ITBP do?
The ITBP is a Central Armed Police Force under the Ministry of Home Affairs . Its primary role is guarding the Line of Actual Control with China; it also conducts disaster relief and internal security operations.
Who is Samrat Choudhary?
Samrat Choudhary is the Chief Minister of Bihar and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
How many years of ITBP Foundation Day is 2026?
2026 marks the 64th Foundation Day of the ITBP, which was established on 24 October 1962.
