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Assam Rifles takes over anti-insurgency operations in the Northeast

The Indian army, now engaged in massive troop mobilisation on a scale unparalleled since the 1971 war, has handed over operational command of anti-insurgency operations in Northeast to the Assam Rifles.

Army officials said the headquarters of the Dimapur(Nagaland)-based based 3 Corps, which has been in charge of the anti-insurgency operations, has been temporary moved to Pathankot as part of the buildup.

Till date, the Assam Rifles had operationally been placed under the 3 Corps for anti-insurgency operations.

The move to hand over anti-insurgency operations to Assam Rifles, Army officials explained, was because all available resources were being utilised for the extensive troop deployment along the Pakistan border, with Army top brass envisaging that it would be a long-drawn out affair. Army estimates indicate that the present deployment, along the Pakistan border, would need to be maintained at least till end-February, at a bare minimum.

"And we couldn't have afforded to leave the Northeast with such an uncertain command structure for so long," a senior Army official explained.

Under the new dispensation, the Director General of Assam Rifles, who is also a serving Lieutnant General, has been given operational command of anti-insurgency operations.

Assam Rifles was carved out of the army ranks for anti-insurgency operations. Following this example, the Rashtriya Rifles was later created for fighting militancy in Kashmir. Both are designated paramilitary forces.

Immediately after the attack on Parliament on December 13, elements of the 3 Corps were moved to Jammu and Kashmir.

During the Kargil conflict, the Army had withdrawn troops engaged in anti-insurgency operations in the Valley -- and this enabled large numbers of militants to sneak in and wreck havoc in the state. This time round the Army, learning from its earlier mistake, is determined to ensure that there is no vacuum in the Northeast as it turns its attention elsewhere.

Army sources indicate that the ongoing military mobilization has brought into the border region a minimum of around 25,000 combat soldiers, that is, the equivalent of three divisions.

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