News Analysis India

Tag: Assam Rifles

  • Fighting Second World War To Thwarting Naga Insurgents: The Story Of Assam Rifles Warrior Havildar Mering Ao |

    In a remarkable encounter, Lieutenant General PC Nair, Director General of Assam Rifles, had the privilege of meeting a true hero, Havildar Mering Ao, who not only fought valiantly in the Second World War but also played a crucial role in countering Naga insurgents, earning him a prestigious gallantry award. Lt Gen PC Nair recently visited 12 Assam Rifles in Mokokchung on December 3, 2023, where he had the opportunity to meet this living legend and gain insights into his extraordinary life.

    Born in 1920 in Sungratsu village, Mokokchung district, Havildar Mering Ao had a childhood dream of donning the uniform, Lieutenant General PC Nair said in a Facebook post. His dream came true in 1940 when he was enlisted as a soldier in 3 Assam Rifles during a recruitment rally in Mokokchung. His battalion became part of the famed ‘V’ Force in Burma during World War-II, tasked with providing early warning, undertaking guerrilla activities, and operating behind Japanese lines.


    “Hav Mering Ao’s exemplary service saw him excel in intelligence work, with his platoon successfully carrying out reconnaissance of Japanese defensive locations in Burma,” Lieutenant General PC Nair said on Facebook. His bravery continued in the Battle of Kohima alongside 1st Punjab Regiment, where his platoon inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese. Apart from his military prowess, he was also an accomplished athlete, winning events at the Assam Rifles Meet in 1949 and participating in the National athletics competition.

    Post World War-II, Havildar Mering Ao actively participated in operations against Naga militants in the 50s and 60s. His remarkable courage was showcased on August 12, 1956, during an anti-insurgency operation in Nagaland, where he played a pivotal role in neutralizing insurgents, earning him the Ashok Chakra (Class III), now known as ‘Shaurya Chakra,’ on April 21, 1960.

    Retired since 1960, Havildar Mering Ao’s contributions extended beyond the military. He served as the Gaon Budha (village head) for an extended period, working tirelessly for the development of his village. His sense of humor and unwavering spirit were evident when asked about his health in comparison to his 98-year-old wife, Senliyangla Ao.

    In a surprising turn of events, Lt Gen PC Nair discovered Havildar Mering Ao’s love for singing Mohammad Rafi songs. On request, the war hero showcased his musical talent, singing with incredible passion and rhythm, defying his age.

    Recognizing the need to preserve and share the first-hand accounts of this living legend, the Assam Rifles has decided to publish a comprehensive story on the Life and Times of Havildar Mering Ao. For them, he is not just a war hero but a legend, and it’s time for the world to know about this remarkable individual whose accomplishments continue to inspire.

  • Union Home Ministry mulls to re-designate ‘second-in-command’ rank in Central Armed Police Forces

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs has sought comments from central security forces on a proposal received from the CRPF to re-name the officer rank of ‘second-in-command’ as ‘additional commandant’ and end the “embarrassment” these personnel suffer in explaining their designation, officials said.

    A second-in-command rank officer of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the Assam Rifles is an analogous post to the superintendent rank in the regular police establishment.

    Officers are inducted in CAPFs like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB and CISF in the entry rank of Assistant Commandant and with the first promotion, they are designated as second-in-command (2IC in short) and subsequently as commandant which is equal to senior SP rank of the police.

    The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), country’s largest paramilitary with about 3.25 lakh personnel on its rolls, has recently written to the home ministry, stating officers of this rank find it “difficult to explain their rank and profile in civil society”.

    “Even in various government organisations, the rank of second-in-command is difficult to be explained. It goes without saying that a CAPF officer should take pride in his rank, but the rank of 2IC fails to add to the pride of the officers and rather becomes a matter of embarrassment,” the CRPF proposal accessed by PTI said.

    The paramilitary force has sought re-designating the 2IC rank as additional commandant, following which the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has written to the other four CAPFs and the Assam Rifles to furnish their comments.

    A home ministry officer said the issue was not that “tricky” and the ministry may issue a notification once the comments are received from all the forces and a decision is made. A second-in-command rank officer, as the name goes, is the deputy of the commanding officer of a CAPF unit or battalion.

    So, it will be appropriate if this designation is given a proper name, a senior CAPF officer said. For example, in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), a 2IC rank officer is called Commandant and the officer immediately senior to him as Senior Commandant, he said. “A uniformity should be made in all the CAPFs vis-a-vis the 2IC rank,” another officer said.

    He said such a proposal of re-designating the 2IC rank was discussed many years ago between the CAPFs and the MHA, but nothing came out of it, the second officer quoted above said. The over 10 lakh strength CAPFs and the Assam Rifles are deployed for rendering a variety of internal security duties apart from border guarding and protecting VIPs.

  • Nagaland killing: Konyak Union imposes day-long bandh in Mon district as Northeast demands AFSPA repealing

    By PTI

    KOHIMA:  Konyak Union (KU), the apex tribal body in Nagaland’s Mon, imposed a day-long bandh in the district on Tuesday to protest the killing of 14 civilians by security forces, and announced seven-day mourning from the next day.

    The KU urged security forces to abstain from patrolling in the Konyak region during the seven-day mourning period, and warned that if the law enforcers do not abide by it, they will be responsible for “any untoward incident that might occur”.

    The union, in a letter sent on Monday, requested President Ramnath Kovind to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT), also comprising two members of Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) in it, and identify the Army personnel involved in the incident, and put in the public domain within 30 days the action taken against them.

    It demanded that 27 Assam Rifles immediately vacate Mon for failing to protect civilians, and Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act be removed from the entire Northeast.

    “We have imposed a day-long bandh in Mon district on Tuesday. It is going on peacefully. We have also announced seven-day mourning from Wednesday,” Konyak Union president Howing Konyak told PTI.

    The last rites of the 14 civilians killed in firing by security forces on December 4 and 5 were held in the Mon district headquarters on Monday.

    Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, his cabinet colleagues and representatives of several tribal organisations attended the event.

    When asked about Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement in Parliament, Konyak said, “At the moment, we are not in a condition to accept or reject his statement. We are saddened by the brutal killing of our people. What actually happened will only be known after the two survivors who are being treated in Assam regain consciousness.”

    The union said that the incident seemed to be a result of “complete failure of military intelligence” and “cannot be termed as a case of mistaken identity at all”.

    “The slain people were villagers with no connection to any element that may cause the slightest concern to security forces or national security in any respect,” the KU stated.

    “This is an act of atrocity beyond reasoning. No explanation can justify this heinous act of deliberate crime against humanity,” it added.

    The union said that the perpetrators up to the highest rank be booked and tried at a civil court.

    Meanwhile, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday demanded the repeal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 from the state, where 14 civilians were killed by security forces in Mon district in an anti-insurgency operation fiasco and said the state too has special powers.

    Discussions and deliberations need to be held on the purpose of imposing AFSPA and how to revoke it, Rio said during the public funeral of the 14 daily wage earners of a coal mine, who were shot dead by security forces on Saturday at Oting village on their way home from work.

    Article 371(A) of the Constitution grants special provisions to Nagaland.

    It states that no Act of Parliament shall apply to Nagaland unless its legislative assembly decides so by a resolution.

    After the funeral, the chief minister tweeted “Nagaland and the Naga people have always opposed #AFSPA. It should be repealed.”

    Paying his last respects to the innocent miners who were killed at Oting, Rio said at the funeral service,”Their sacrifices will not be forgotten. We are together in this. We stand in solidarity with the people”.

    He asserted that since the security forces directly fired upon the civilians without even stopping them for identification, severe action will be initiated against those involved.

    “They (the miners) have not sacrificed their lives for India but for the Nagas,” he said and announced ex gratia of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of each of those killed in the incident and Rs one lakh to the injured.

    Rio also said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced an ex gratia of Rs 11 lakh and government job to the families of each victim.

    The funeral service of the miners was held at the Mon headquarters helipad ground and was attended by various tribal organizations under the aegis of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisaiton and Konyak Union, the apex tribal body of the district.

    Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton, leader of NPF legislature party T R Zeliang, state cabinet ministers and legislators were present at the funeral service besides Rio.

    Conveying his solidarity with the victims and the people of eastern Nagaland over the killing, Rio said that he has informed Shah that the situation in the state is “fine” but it was the Army which has committed a “blunder” by killing the innocent civilians”.

    He said “AFSPA give powers to the Army to arrest civilians without any warrant, raid houses and also kill people, but there is no action against the security forces . They (the Army) have created a law and order situation”.

    Rio told the mourners that Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Commander of 3 Corps, Lt Gen J P Mathew have assured him of a thorough probe and punishment of those responsible as per the law.

    The chief minister said candlelight processions were held across the state in solidarity with the people of the eastern Nagaland and th government suspended the ongoing annual Hornbill Festival at Kisama.

    Solidarity messages and condolences were read out at the funeral by various organizations and civil societies and many of those who were present carried banners and placards demanding justice for the “brutal murder “.

    After the funeral service the bodies of the 14 civilians were taken to their respective villages for burial.

    A common memorial stone will be erected at Mon district headquarters in their honour, officials said.

    Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday said the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 has been counterproductive to address law and order issues in the North East region and should be repealed as he joined the growing chorus for its withdrawal, following the killing of civilians in Nagaland.

    Civil society groups, rights activists and political leaders of the region have been demanding the withdrawal of the “draconian” law for years, alleging excesses by security forces with impunity under the cover of the Act.

    The AFSPA confers special powers on the armed forces in areas deemed as disturbed.

    “The AFSPA has always been counterproductive and there have been more unrest and people have to go through a lot of pain,” Sangma, who is also the national president of the NPP, said in a statement.

    He also said his National People’s Party, an ally of the BJP, is against the AFSPA and will continue to urge the Centre to repeal the “draconian” Act.

    Sangma, however, acknowledged that the region has law and order problems and said there are other ways to address the issues.

    “We agree that the issues must be addressed. There are other ways to address them and the AFSPA is not the way to address the issues in the NE region,” he said.

    Earlier in the day, he tweeted, “AFSPA should be repealed.”

    The state Congress also supported the chief minister, urging him to convene a meeting for consultation over the issue.

    “We must go all out to demand immediate repeal of this draconian oppression on our people. Kindly convene a consultation at the earliest,” Congress MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh tweeted in reply to Sangma.

    The AFSPA is in force in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur (excluding Imphal Municipal Council area), Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang, Longding, Tirap districts and areas falling within the eight police stations at the Assam border.

    The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) also demanded that the AFSPA be withdrawn for building a peaceful North East.

    “We call upon the Government of India to rein in its armed forces if they really wish peace to prevail in the region as incidents like the killing of civilians will only bring instability, which is not a good sign for the NE as a whole,” HYC general secretary Roykupar Synrem said.

    “Steps should be taken towards building a peaceful North-East and the correct and necessary steps towards achieving full peace is to withdraw or repeal the AFSPA from the region completely as well as deployment or stationing armed forces to the bare minimum,” he said.

    Voicing concern, the Khasi Students Union (KSU) said the government should formulate laws to safeguard the rights of the indigenous people.

    “The Government of India should immediately revoke the monstrous AFSPA and instead formulate laws to safeguard and protect the rights and existence of the indigenous inhabitants of NE India,” it said in a statement.

    KSU president Lambok Marngar said the government should take stringent and harsh action against the “erring and bloodthirsty” personnel involved in the civilian killings in Nagaland.

    At least 14 civilians and a soldier were killed in a botched anti-insurgency operation and retaliatory violence over the weekend in Mon district of Nagaland, as per police.

    Opposition political parties in Assam Monday lent their voices to the demand for repeal of Armed Forces (Special Power) Act (AFSPA), 1958, which has gained renewed momentum following the death of 14 civilians in firing by security forces in a botched anti-insurgency operation in Nagaland.

    Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi condemned the firing in Mon district of Nagaland and demanded immediate arrest and punishment of all involved in it.

    He also demanded that the National Investigation Agency be entrusted with enquiry into it and the incident be declared as a terrorist act.

    In a video statement shared through social media, the lawmaker said, “We have been seeing the army committing such excess on innocent civilians in the north east region in the name of counter insurgency operations”.

    The armed forces work under the cover of the AFSPA in the region and do not have to face any court of law.

    It conducts its own internal enquiry and the people do not get to know whether a case reached its logical conclusion of not, Gogoi added.

    “(The) Nagaland killings are a caricature of the Indian Govt. Revoke AFSPA,” Gogoi also wrote on Twitter.

    Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi also took to the Twitter to vent his opposition of AFSPA.

    Condemning the Mon firing incidents, he wrote, “Its heartbreaking to see civilians being gunned down by the same forces that were meant to protect them. I demand that laws like #AFSPA be repealed from the #NorthEast. #Nagaland” The party’s general secretary, Jagadish Bhuyan, blaming AFSPA for the incident tweeted, “It is past time for us to wake up and protest against this atrocity, or many more civilians will be killed in this manner!” “The GOI should SCRAP THE AFSPA and allow the NE people to live as dignified citizens of the country without any discrimination!” he added.

    AIUDF MLA Ashraful Hussain too pitched for revoking AFSPA.

    “Real justice to the victims would be ending this type of killings with impunity. There should be collective voice from all sections against the draconian AFSPA which allows such impunity,” the legislator tweeted on Sunday.

    Veteran CPI(M) leader Hemen Das joined the opposition parties in their demand for scrapping AFSPA.

    In a tweet on Sunday he condemned the incident and wrote, “This is state terrorism. Scrap AFSPA.”

    The CPI staged a demonstration in front of its party office here on Sunday demanding revocation of the Act and justice for the victims and their families.

    At least 14 civilians and one soldier were killed in firing by security forces in a botched anti-insurgency operation and retaliatory violence within 24 hours in Mon district of Nagaland since Saturday evening.

    AFSPA is in force in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur (excluding Imphal Municipal Council Area), Changlang, Longding and Tirap districts of Arunachal Pradesh and in areas falling within the jurisdiction of eight police stations of districts in Arunachal Pradesh bordering Assam.

    Civil society groups, rights activists and political leaders of the region have been demanding the withdrawal of the “draconian” law for years, alleging excesses by security forces under the cover of the Act.

  • Centre may deploy more paramilitary forces in Northeast following Manipur ambush

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Centre is considering deployment of more paramilitary personnel in Northeastern states in view of the recent ambush in Manipur which resulted in the deaths of five Assam Rifles soldiers. Discussions over enhancing the deployment have been held not just in context of the recent ambush but also of the steady rise in violence in the Northeast this year.

    According to official data accessed by this news paper, as many as 173 violent incidents have been reported from the Northeast till October 31 this year, an increase of around 31 per cent from last year when insurgents had carried out 132 violent incidents during the corresponding period.

    “Security agencies are making a detailed assessment of the insurgency situation in the Northeast states particularly in places where active insurgents have not entered into a ceasefire with the government. If required, the government may deploy more CAPF personnel in such areas,” a senior home ministry official said.

    Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland are the states where some of the active insurgent groups haven’t yet entered into a ceasefire agreement with the Centre. Of all the Northeast states, Manipur reported highest violent incidents (90), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (22) and Assam (18).

    No such violence was reported Mizoram whereas Tripura and Meghalaya reported one and two incidents each. Twelve insurgents were killed between January to October 2019, the number of extremists killed in 2020 during the corresponding period was 21 whereas 36 insurgents have been killed till October 31 this year.  The number of civilians killed in insurgency-related violence till October 31 this year is 17.

  • Intel fears more attacks in Manipur before elections as combing operations continue for militants

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The People’s Liberation Army in Manipur, which was behind the recent deadly attack on the convoy of the 46 Assam Rifles, is planning to carry out more such attacks on security forces. According to latest intelligence inputs, the militants are planning to plant IEDs on the routes taken by the security forces.

    Well-placed sources in intelligence agencies also told this newspaper that a militant from the Manipur-based outfit was injured in the attack carried out last week and the exact location of the militant is being ascertained by security agencies.

    The injured militant was part of the team in the Imphal valley-based Meitei separatist group that laid the ambush. Security agencies believe he may still be in Manipur’s Churachandpur district where the attack took place on November 13.

    There is also a possibility that the militant may be somewhere in the adjoining Chin state of Myanmar. Details of his whereabouts are being verified, said a senior intelligence official. 

    Four personnel of 46 Assam Rifles, other than commanding officer Colonel Viplav Tripathi (41), his wife Anuja (36) and their six-year-old son Abeer were killed in an ambush near Sehkan village in Churachandpur district.

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to take over the Manipur attack case, the responsibility of which was claimed by the People’s Liberation Army Manipur and another insurgent group called the Manipur Naga People’s Front (MNPF).

    Other insurgent outfits, including the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), are also suspected to be planning similar attacks on security forces in the near future.

    A separate intelligence input indicated that the PLA may target security forces in the run-up to the Assembly elections, particularly those deployed to guard the porous India-Myanmar border, including in Churachandpur, Chandel and Ukhrul.

    These militant outfits have in the past timed attacks on security forces to coincide with state elections

    The PLA Manipur was founded in September 25, 1978, by N Bisheshwar as a breakaway faction of the United National Liberation Front with the aim of Manipur’s secession from India.

    Cadres of the People’s Liberation Army and other splinter groups have continued to remain active over the years and operate mostly out of camps based in Myanmar. 

    This separatist outfit, along with other Meitei insurgent groups with similar ideologies, has never entered into a ceasefire agreement with the Indian government.

    Meanwhile, a massive manhunt mounted on Sunday in the jungles of Churachandpur in Manipur near the border with Myanmar to search for militants responsible for a deadly ambush that killed personnel and family members of the para-military Assam Rifles continued Tuesday.

    Two shadowy militant groups – People’s Liberation Army and the Manipur Naga People’s Front – which had been dormant for long had on Saturday jointly claimed responsibility for the attack.

    Sanjiv Krishnan Sood, former additional director general of BSF with long years of experience in tackling insurgency in the North East told PTI “it is surprising that these two outfits collaborated with each other and suddenly came alive again. One has to see whether there is a common factor which I suspect could be China behind this.”

    In separate dragnet operations, two militants belonging to different proscribed outfits were arrested from urban areas in Manipur’s Thoubal and Imphal East districts on Sunday.

    Acting on tip-offs, Assam Rifles personnel along with Manipur Police nabbed a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) militant in Thoubal and a Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) insurgent in Imphal East district on Sunday.

    Officials said these arrests were not related to the attack on Assam Rifles personnel in Churachandpur.

    The KCP insurgent was allegedly involved in planting an improvised explosive device (IED) in Khurai in Imphal East on Sunday.

    Besides, Col Tripathi, the Commanding Officer of Khuga Battalion of Assam Rifles, his wife Anuja and son Abeer, and Rifleman (Rfn) Shyamal Das, Rfn Suman Swargiary, Rfn RP Meena and Rfn Khatnei Konyak were killed in the deadly atack on the para-military convoy.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Manipur ambush: Love for uniform makes this duo embrace the force, and then the martyrdom

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: It was love for the uniform that drove Suman Swargiary and Khatnei Konyak to join the Assam Rifles.

    Swargiary, a native of Thekarakuchi in Assam’s Baksa district, and Konyak, who hailed from Zangkham in Nagaland’s Mon district, were among the five personnel who had lost their lives in Saturday’s deadly ambush on an Assam Rifles convoy in Manipur’s Churachandpur.

    Their last rites were performed on Monday in their villages in the presence of hundreds of mourners. Both grew up seeing defence personnel.

    Tragedy had struck Swargiary back in 2008 when his father had lost his life at the hands of the militants. Thekarakuchi has only around 150 households but some 50 persons from the nondescript village are serving in the armed forces.

    “After the militants had swooped down on their house and killed his father, it suddenly fell upon Suman to run the family. He appeared in an interview and secured the job in 2011,” Uday Basumatary, a relative, told this newspaper.

    Swargiary’s father headed a peace committee when the militants cut short his life. The region was then going through the worst days of the insurgency. Baksa falls under Bodoland Territorial Region and is administered by the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council.

    Basumatary said he was not surprised when 10 years ago his nephew had left home to take part in a recruitment drive for entry into the Assam Rifles.

    “There are so many of them from the village working in the armed and paramilitary forces. He grew up seeing them in the uniform. He was a dedicated soldier,” Basumatary said.

    Last week, the slain soldier had promised his son that he would come home to celebrate the child’s third birthday. He left behind his wife, son and two sisters, one of them unmarried.

    Basumatary appealed to the government to take measures to solve the problem of insurgency in the Northeast.

    “We don’t have the militants in Assam now. Several other states in the region are peaceful. The central government should take some steps to solve the problem in Manipur and Nagaland,” he insisted.

    Konyak had got married only last year. His elder brother, who too is an Assam Rifles soldier, said it was his sibling’s dream to serve in the armed forces.

    “More than 35 people from our village are serving in the central and state forces. He always aspired to become a soldier,” the brother said.

    Mon District Magistrate, Thavaseelan K told The New Indian Express, “Zangkham is a small and backward village. It has a lot of people serving in the state and central forces.”

  • Flight carrying bodies of slain Assam Rifles personnel makes emergency landing

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: A military flight carrying the mortal remains of Assam Rifles personnel and family members of one of them killed in an ambush in Manipur made an emergency landing at Jorhat airport of Assam on Sunday following a technical snag, an Army spokesperson said.

    The bodies will be kept at Jorhat overnight and the onward journey for the respective destinations will resume on Monday morning, he added.

    Altogether seven people were killed in the ambush in Manipur’s Churachandpur district on Saturday and the bodies had been brought to the state capital Imphal.

    From there, they were being taken to their homes.

    The spokesperson said the flight was scheduled to fly to Guwahati from Imphal, but it had to make the emergency landing at Jorhat due to a technical problem.

    ALSO READ | Attack on Assam Rifles: Myanmar border will be sealed on priority, says Manipur CM Biren Singh

    “The mortal remains of the bravehearts were to be ferried by the flight on Sunday itself to their destinations. But it has been delayed by a day now,” he added.

    The aircraft was carrying the mortal remains of Col Viplav Tripathi, the Commanding Officer of Khuga Battalion of Assam Rifles, his wife Anuja and six-year-son son Abeer, besides three personnel of the country’s oldest paramilitary force, the spokesperson said.

    Col Tripathi was a resident of Raigarh in Chattisgarh.

    The body of Rifleman (Rfn) Khatnei Konyak was taken from Imphal by a helicopter to his residence in Mon district of Nagaland, where the last rites were performed, an Assam Rifles spokesperson said.

    Of the other three, Rfn Shyamal Das hailed from Murshidabad district of West Bengal, while Rfn Suman Swargiary and Rfn RP Meena belonged to Baksa district in Assam and Dausa district of Rajasthan respectively, the spokesperson said.

  • Assam Rifles seizes 250 kg explosive materials at Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur

    By PTI

    IMPHAL: The Assam Rifles Moreh battalion has seized huge quantities of prefabricated IEDs and warlike stores from a forest area located at the Indo-Myanmar international border in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district, Inspector General of Assam Rifles (South) said on Tuesday.

    AR troops detected well-concealed boxes hidden in the thick foliage of the forest area on Sunday night.

    When inspected closely it was found to contain a large number of prefabricated IEDs weighing about 250 kg along with a large quantity of other explosives and warlike stores, according to the release by the office of the AR inspector general.

    The seized items include 197 IEDs of varying weights, 50 m of detonating cord, some electric wires, 12 volt batteries and 5 kg of IED making materials, the release further said.

    AR is on alert at the Indo-Myanmar international border areas due to the fight between the ruling junta government in Myanmar and armed rebels.

  • 3 Assam Rifles jawans held for drug trafficking, contraband worth Rs 1 crore seized

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: The Assam Police arrested three Assam Rifles personnel and a civilian for trafficking drugs.

    The arrests were made at Jokai near Dibrugarh in upper Assam based on inputs shared by the Army intelligence. The three defence personnel are posted in Nagaland’s Kohima.

    The seized drugs, weighing 269 grams, were valued at Rs 1 crore in the international black market.

    Dibrugarh SP Shwetank Mishra said the police had received inputs on Thursday that some people were travelling to Tinsukia in a car from Jorhat for drug dealing.

    “We activated a police team and it intercepted the vehicle. Four persons were travelling. Their interrogation revealed they were travelling for the drugs trade. They confessed that they left the drugs in another vehicle at Dergaon (in Golaghat district). A team was sent. It seized the vehicle and the drugs this morning,” Mishra said.

    The accused told their interrogators they had procured the drugs from a woman in Nagaland’s commercial hub Dimapur. The contraband was to be delivered to a drugs dealer in Tinsukia, the SP added.

    The police registered a case under sections 22(c)/27A/29 of the NDPS Act.

  • Naxalism, terrorism discussed at security meet chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Union Home minister Amit Shah on Monday chaired a high-level security meeting with the police chiefs of all states and Union Territotries as well as those of all central police forces — CRPF, CISF, BSF, SSB and Assam Rifles. 

    Various security and policing issues were discussed in the biannual review meeting, officials said. The meeting is part of the exercise initiated by the home minister to meet the top police brass once in six months. Terrorism and Naxalism were discussed at length in the National Security Strategies  Conference that took place at the headquarters of Intelligence Bureau (IB) in the national capital. 

    “Deliberations were detailed and expansive, given the presence of all DGPs and DGs of central police forces. The conference deliberated on various internal security challenges and discussed ways to tackle them firmly,”  a home ministry spokesperson said.

    While the meeting covered a wide range of security issues, the developments in Jammu and Kashmir — which has been witnessing a spate of targeted killings of migrant labourers — were also discussed  in the meeting, sources said.  In October so far, 13 civilians — five of them coming from other states — have been killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, setting off a wave of panic among the people. An official said this indicates that the terrorists want to drive people from other states out of Kashmir.

    On Sunday, two men from Bihar were gunned down by terrorists in Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Twenty-four hours earlier, a gol-gappa hawker from Bihar and a carpenter from Uttar Pradesh were shot dead in the Kashmir Valley.The security forces have also intensified anti-terror operations killing 13 militants so far, according to the Jammu and Kashmir Police.  

    The series of attacks on civilians come days before the home minister is to make his maiden visit to Jammu and Kashmir since the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special status granted under the Constitution was scrapped in August 2019.