Assam Rifles Top Leadership Meets Assam's Chief Secretary & DGP To deal Cross-Border International Illegal Activities

Guwahati, August 17: Maj Gen Inderjit Singh Bhinder, IGAR (East) and Brig Nishant Chandel, Comd 21 Sector, Assam Rifles met with Dr Ravi Kota, IAS, Chief Secretary of Assam, and Harmeet Singh, IPS, Director General of Police Assam. The discussion centered on law and order, operational coordination, security concerns and areas of common interest.

The discussions confirmed the dedication of Assam Rifles, state administration and police to enhance coordination and ensure peace, security and growth in the region. Assam Rifles, India's oldest paramilitary force, primarily operates across the entire Northeast India region, covering Assam. Their primary responsibilities in Assam include managing the Indo-Myanmar border, conducting counter-insurgency operations in volatile regions, and providing disaster relief.

Known as the "Sentinels of the North East" and "Friends of the Hill People," Assam Rifles is the oldest paramilitary force in India, established in 1835 as Cachar Levy to safeguard Assam's tea gardens and fertile plains from unruly tribes. Following independence, the AR operated under the Ministry of External Affairs, with its operational control transferred to the Indian Army after the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

Today, Assam Rifles focuses on combating cross-border insurgency, drug and narcotics syndicates, and illegal smuggling and trade activities. The recent high-level meeting with senior Assam officials underscores the Assam government's leadership by Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma's strong stance against drugs and cross-border smuggling, particularly from neighboring Myanmar through the porous northeastern states of Tripura, Mizoram, and Manipur, using Assam's corridor.