Assam Rifles | 25 Mar 2022

Recently, the 187^th Raising Day of the Assam Rifles has been celebrated in Shillong. Assam Rifles is the watchdog of the North East and the oldest paramilitary force in the country.

Assam Rifles is a Central Paramilitary Force under the Central Armed Police Forces.
It came into being in 1835, as a militia called the ‘Cachar Levy’, to primarily protect British Tea estates and their settlements against tribal raids.
It significantly contributed to the opening of Assam region to administration and commerce and over time it came to be known as the “right arm of the civil and left arm of the military”.
Assam Rifles has two battalions stationed in Jammu and Kashmir and one National Disaster Relief Force battalion, which is playing its active role in case of natural calamities.
Although India has been contributing to the UN peacekeeping for many years, the addition of the Riflewomen Team of the Assam Rifles adds another social and human dimension to our commitment to the community of nations.
Major role post-Independence:
- Conventional combat role during the Sino-India War 1962.
- Operations in a foreign land as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force to Sri Lanka in 1987 (Operation Pawan).
- Peacekeeping role in the North-Eastern areas of India.
In November 2019, MHA proposed to merge it with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
- ITBP is a specialized mountain force, raised in October 1962.
- It is deployed on border guarding duties from Karakoram Pass in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh covering 3488 km of Indo-China Border.