SHILLONG, May 1 – The problem of insurgency in the north eastern region of the country is within ‘manageable’ limits of the security forces, newly appointed Director General of the Assam Rifles, Lt. Gen. Bhupinder Singh has said. “The level of insurgency is well below the threshold,” Lt. Gen. Singh, who assumed office as the new Director General of the elite para-military force at the Directorate General Assam Rifles (DGAR) Headquarters here on Friday, observed.
Lt. Gen. Singh, decorated with the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and the Visisht Seva Medal (VSM) and a veteran of the Indian Army, took charge of the oldest para-military force of the country from his predecessor Lt. Gen. H.S. Kanwar at a solemn function at the DGAR Headquarters. Reiterating that the Assam Rifles would concentrate on its prime task, that of conter-insurgency operations in the insurgency-ravaged North-east, the new DGAR said his priority would be to ‘speed up’ the process of modernisation of the force with the latest combat equipment. He laid emphasis on upgradation of training methods and procedures, availability of latest training aids and state-of-the-art arms and equipment for the force.
“The welfare of the Assam Rifles personnel would also be an area of prime importance,” he said, adding that the “elite and historic force” had ‘proved itself’ in all major counter-insurgency operations in the country. “The Assam Rifles is one of the most efficient fighting forces in the country today,” Singh said. The DGAR further said that he would make concerted efforts to integrate the Assam Rifles, also referred to as ‘Friends of the Hill People’ and ‘Custodian of the North East ’ with the people of the region in general.