Assam Rifles

The Assam Rifles (AR) is a central paramilitary force responsible for border security, counter-insurgency, and maintaining law and order in Northeast India. Its primary duty involves guarding the Indo-Myanmar border. The AR is one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Indian Army maintains operational control of the AR. As a police force, its recruitment, perks, promotions, and retirement policies are governed by CAPF rules. Approximately 80 percent of the officers are deputed from the Army, while the remaining personnel are drawn from the AR cadre. The AR is commanded by the Director General of the Assam Rifles (DG AR), who is appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The AR is often nicknamed "Sentinels of the North East" and "Friends of the Hill People". It is the oldest paramilitary force in India, originally raised in 1835 as Cachar Levy, a militia to protect tea gardens and the fertile plains of Assam against 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 redesignated as Assam Frontier Police in 1883, Assam Military Police in 1891, and East Bengal and Assam Military Police in 1913. It got its present name in 1917. After independence, the AR functioned under the Ministry of External Affairs. Its operational control was transferred to the Indian Army after the Sino-Indian War of 1962. It came under the administration of Ministry of Home Affairs in 1965, with the Army retaining operational control. Over the course of its history, the Assam Rifles have served in a number of roles, conflicts and theatres including World War I, where they served in Europe and the Middle East, and World War II, where they served mainly in Burma. After the Chinese annexation of Tibet, the Assam Rifles were tasked with manning Assam's section of the Tibetan border. They were also instrumental in maintaining law and order in Arunachal Pradesh.

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Related concepts (4)

Battle of Kohima

The Battle of Kohima proved the turning point of the Japanese U-Go offensive into India in 1944 during the Second World War. The battle took place in three stages from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima, now the capital city of Nagaland in Northeast India. From 3 to 16 April, the Japanese attempted to capture Kohima ridge, a feature which dominated the road by which the besieged British and Indian troops of IV Corps at Imphal were supplied. By mid-April, the small British and British Indian force at Kohima was relieved.

Kohima

Kohima (koʊˈhiːmə; Angami Naga: Kewhira (ˈkɛʍɪrə) is the capital of the Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Kohima constitutes both a district and a municipality. The municipality covers . The city lies on the foothills of Japfü section of the Barail Range located south of the District () and has an average elevation of 1,261 metres (4137 feet). Originally known as Kewhira, Kohima's history goes back to a time when it was a village of the Angami Nagas.

Northeast India

Northeast India (officially the North Eastern Region (NER)) is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political administrative division of the country. It comprises eight states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura (commonly known as the "Seven Sisters"), and the "brother" state Sikkim. The region shares an international border of (about 99 percent of its total geographical boundary) with several neighbouring countries – with China in the north, with Myanmar in the east, with Bangladesh in the south-west, with Nepal in the west, and with Bhutan in the north-west.