A paramilitary force is in the process of tying up with many think thanks at the national level in order to create a people-centred impression. Assam Rifles, perhaps the first such paramilitary force in India, which is operationalised by the Indian Army, but managed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, is rolling out a robust plan for this mission.
A spokesman of the Force said, “Despite being a strong force in India since 1835, which has participated in all kinds of conflict India has ever faced, rest of India is having little knowledge about the Assam Rifles and its role. So think tanks are the right ladder to eradicate such hindrances. It would also help us to alter the opinion of the Force among the contenders, particularly among the people of Northeast.”
As part of this outreach, it has inked a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Services Institution of India. Brainstorming seminars and lectures will be held annually as part of the MoU. The third edition of the Assam Rifles-USI guest lecture, named ‘Bob Khathing Memorial Lecture’, was held at USI, New Delhi on Friday.
The Lecture has been named after Late Major Bob Khathing remembering the monumental role played by Khathing for the people of Northeast region. The Lecture was attended by over 100 officers and was live-streamed to 172 outstations of the forces.
Major Bob Khathing was a legendary figure from the North East. During World War II. He served with the famous V Force and for his gallantry, was awarded the Military Cross and Member of the British Empire (MBE).
Apart from his committed service in Assam during the great earthquake of 1950, he played a key role during the transitional period in the States of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim. Major Khathing’s name has special relevance to Arunachal Pradesh as he served as the Assistant Political Officer in the erstwhile NEFA under then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru. He was also the first Officer to successfully unfurl the Indian Tri-colour at Tawang in the year 1951.
The officer said the need to tie up with think tanks arose because apart from being in the border management and counter-insurgency role, the Force is also involved in the development process of the Northeast, at places where state government could not reach.
“In order to stay abreast with the dynamic happenings in the region, the force always has a method of developing strategies to meet any challenges of the future. To add academic content to happenings in the North East, the force has established ties with various think tanks; through seminars, panel discussions and guest lectures,” said the officer.
This year’s guest talk was based on the theme “Leveraging North East region for enhancing peace and stability and furthering India’s act East policy” which also formed part of the Central government's initiative in the Northeast region to make it a self-sustained global economic hub of India.
The talk was delivered by Lt General R.P. Kalita, GOC-in-C, Eastern Command. The army commander highlighted the relevant aspects related to conflict resolution and leveraging economic potential as a key factor to ensure stability in the North East Region. He also emphasized on the relevance of four Cs i.e., Culture, Commerce, Connectivity and Capacity Building as the important pillars of the government of India’s Act East Policy which are part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy for the region-- ‘Security and Growth for All (SAGAR).’
Director General of Assam Rifles, Lt. General P.C. Nair said, “Geo-Strategic importance of the North East Region is immense for India’s security.” He assured of the everlasting commitment of Assam Rifles towards the people of the Northeast region.
Besides officers from the Indian Army, representatives of various CAPFs, representatives from the Narcotics Control Bureau and many such important stakeholders of the northeast region participated in the discussions.
