Assam Rifles is India’s oldest paramilitary force, and it has kept the tricolour flying high—both in its cradle, the Northeast, and elsewhere.
Ahead of the force’s 189th raising day, our team traveled to its headquarters – Shillong – to understand why it is unique in more ways than one.
The Assam Rifles holds immense geographical significance due to its strategic deployment and operational emphasis in the Northeast. It acts as a guarding force on the Indo-Myanmar border and also as a counter insurgency auxiliary force for operations in the Northeast in support of the Indian Army.
The Northeast’s rugged terrain, dense forests and mountainous landscapes pose challenges for conventional military operations, which makes specialized training necessary.
The force was raised by the British in 1835 as Cachar Levy, a ragtag militia to protect tea gardens from unruly tribes. Its scope increased with the expansion of British Raj in Northeast India, and it was used against insurgencies in the region.
The force was re-designated as Assam Frontier Police in 1883, Assam Military Police in 1891, and East Bengal and Assam Military Police in 1913. It was named Assam Rifles in 1917.
After independence, the Assam Rifles functioned under the Ministry of External Affairs, in the Northeast, where insurgency and unrest threatened stability. Its operational control was transferred to the Indian Army after the Sino-Indian War of 1962. It was brought under the administration of the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1965, with the Army retaining operational control. Assam Rifles is the only paramilitary force with this dual control structure.
The Director General of Assam Rifles, Lt Gen P C Nair, talks about how vital the role of the Assam Rifles was, during the 1962 Sino-India War.
Explaining the significance of Vijaynagar – or the ‘Siachen of the NorthEast’, he talks about how General Guraya’s party preempted the Chinese by about a week. If they hadn’t been there, the Chinese would have entered and the war would have been very different. He explains how the 730 square kilometers is very important; since from here one gets an approach to the southern banks of Brahmaputra. What that means is from here, one would head straight to Dibrugarh, Jorhat and onwards to Guwahati. There is absolutely no need of crossing the Brahmaputra. The Chinese couldn’t do that, so they went to Tezpur and Tawang.
Another interesting aspect is that Jawans of Assam Rifles can work up to the age of 60. They are allotted a particular Battalion and usually remain stationed with that, though they may be sent out on deputation for about 3 years.
Assam Rifles is no longer a male bastion. Women soldiers were recruited for the first time in 2015 and since then, have stood shoulder to shoulder with their male colleagues, checking infiltration, cracking down on drug smuggling and participating in counter-insurgency operations.
It is impossible not to ask Gen Nair about the situation in Manipur; it will be a year in May when ethnic violence erupted in the state between the Meitei people, a majority living in the Imphal valley, and the Kuki-Zo tribal community from the surrounding hills.
Normalcy continues to evade Manipur, and the physical – and emotional – separation of the communities is total. The Assam Rifles have been in the thick of the action. Despite allegations that Assam Rifles has been acting in a partisan manner, Gen Nair insists the force is unbiased and only wants peace.
Apart from such faultlines, the situation in the north-east, with its mist-clad mountains and lush green valleys, have improved over the decades. So does the Assam Rifles continue to be significant in the region? Gen Nair reiterates that to say Assam Rifles is irrelevant is to lose sight of the bigger picture.
The Assam Rifles comprises 46 battalions. Of these, 20 are involved in guarding the India-Myanmar border and 26 battalions are involved in counter-insurgency roles, including two in Jammu and Kashmir. Force modernisation is a critical aspect and is high on the priority list. Not just equipment, but vehicles, cyber security and even rations for jawans are being upgraded.
A decade later, the Assam Rifles will complete two centuries as defenders of borders, agents of change and ambassadors of goodwill. They have left an indelible mark on the annals of Indian military history and will continue to do so.
190 years of existence. Myriad missions all across the globe, innumerable operations all over the globe. So many stories. We have tried to capture the essence of Assam Rifles as their legacy keeps growing stronger with each passing year, resonating with the ideals of duty and honour that have defined them for nearly two centuries. The Assam Rifles continues to stand as a beacon of resilience, inspiring generations to come.
