War & Conflict: - The Assam Rifles

The Assam Rifles (Rifles) is the oldest paramilitary force in India. They were formed in 1835, approximately 190 or so odd years ago, under the central armed police forces. They were known locally as the “cachar levy”.

The Rifles were formed in Shillong, the capital of the state of Meghalaya, and the city is still the headquarters of the Rifles. The Rifles were initially tasked with protecting British tea plantations and settlements from attacks by local tribesmen.

From there, the Rifles evolved to become a frontier force that was responsible for securing the northeastern borders of India, and in 1870 elements from the Rifles were merged into three Assam Military Police Battalions, and approximately 3,000 men from these battalions were later absorbed into the British Army during the first world war; a lot of these men were sent to various parts of Europe and Asia.

These men, many of whom were Gurkhas, performed valiantly and were conferred numerous awards for bravery and gallantry, and the Rifles quickly made a name for themselves as being a resilient outfit that could perform under all conditions, and despite being designated a paramilitary outfit, the Rifles could perform all the duties of a proper military battalion.    

The Rifles continued to grow in stature and they swung into action in the second world war to help halt Japanese troops from crossing into India from Burma, and the scope of their duties widened because during the war, in addition to being frontline troops, the Rifles also organized resistance movements along the Indo-Burmese border to stop Japanese troops from advancing and to make things difficult for them.

Post the second world war, in 1959, and in keeping with their policing traditions, the Rifles were deployed to the Tibetan sector of Assam to help stabilize the region.

In 1966, during the Mizo conflict, it was rumored that members of the Mizo National Front (MNF) were trained by former members of the 2nd Assam Rifles (the 2nd Assam rifles is stationed in Aizawl).

The Rifles are also used to help alleviate tribal conflicts that sometimes flare-up in the northeastern states.

The Rifles however have been dogged by controversy since ethnic violence broke out in the state of Manipur in 2023 that left two hundred dead and tens of thousands displaced. Several members of the state legislative assembly have demanded the removal of the Rifles from the state.

Initially the Rifles were an all-male outfit. Their members at one stage were predominantly selected from Nepal (Gurkhas) and the northeastern states, most likely because they were more attuned to the conditions in northeastern India.

The all-male composition of the Rifles remained for about 180 years until 2015 when women were first inducted into the Rifles.

The Rifles today not only comprise of recruits from the northeastern states, members of the Rifles currently come from all parts of the country and from many different backgrounds.

The Assam Rifles is a component of the Indian Army with an officer holding the rank of lieutenant general commanding the force. The Assam Rifles comprise of forty-six regular battalions and one NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) battalion.  

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