The aggressive military assertiveness of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army along the Line of Actual Control in the eastern sector and emerging security challenges from Bangladesh were among the key topics discussed at the annual conference of directors-general and inspectors-general of police on Sunday, sources said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and national security adviser Ajit Doval attended the conference.

“Special sessions on the aggressive military assertiveness of the Chinese army along the frontier and the emerging challenges from Bangladesh were held today in which top security officials discussed its implications. The two critical issues will again be taken up for discussion tomorrow,” said a security official attached to the Union home ministry.

He added: “The top brass also deliberated on the key threats and challenges, including Pakistan-sponsored militants in Jammu andKashmir.”

New Delhi has been confronted with the latest security challenge from Bangladesh, which has been witnessing unrest following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and an interim administration taking charge in August. There have been reports of attacks on Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh, an issue the Narendra Modi government has raised strongly with Dhaka.

“India is worried about the possibility of a surge in extremism in Bangladesh under the new dispensation which is likely to compound the security challenge considering the border standoff with China is not yet completely resolved and Pak-sponsored terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir are also on the rise. We find ourselves in a very tricky situation,” said a military veteran.

Recently, the Indian and Chinese armies completed disengagement from Depsang Plains and Demchok in eastern Ladakh where the two sides were in a standoff for over four-and-a-half years. Ties between the two countries had nosedived following the multiple transgressions by the Chinese army in eastern Ladakh and the violent clash between the two armies in Galwan Valley in June 2020 in which 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops were killed.

Sources said the Chinese army had been very aggressive in the eastern sector (Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh) for the past couple of years and its troops had been increasingly coming deeper into India-claimed territory with the aim of staking claim to disputed areas, resulting in physical clashes sometimes.

During the three-day DGP conference, which began on Friday, state police chiefs and central security agencies will brief Modi on key policing and internal security issues.

The conference will include deliberations on critical components of national security, including counter-terrorism, Left-wing extremism, coastal security and new criminal laws, a statement released by the PMO said on Friday.