Assam Rifles removed from key checkpoint in Manipur: What is this central paramilitary force?

As tensions continue to simmer in Manipur between the majority Meiteis and the tribal Kuki-Zo community, Assam Rifles has been replaced with civil police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at a vital check post at Moirang Lamkhai in the Bishnupur district. Without elaborating on the cause for its removal, the additional DGP (law and order) said in an order on Monday (7 August), “In partial modification of this office’s order dated August 3, 2023, the naka/check point at Moirang Lamkhai on the Bishnupur to Kangvai road shall be manned by civil police and CRPF in place of 9 Assam Rifles with immediate effect and until further orders,” reported Hindustan Times (HT). Meitei-dominated Bishnupur district borders the Churachandpur district, which is dominated by the Kuki-Zomi people. The area has seen frequent violent clashes between both communities. The development comes after hundreds of Meira Paibis (Meitei women torchbearers) held demonstrations on Monday in Imphal East and West districts seeking the removal of Assam Rifles from Manipur. The group, also known as Mothers of Manipur, alleged the Assam Rifles “unleashed atrocities” on Meitei protesters, especially at Torbung in Bishnupur district on 3 August, as per reports. Assam Rifles has rejected the allegations. Some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers and organisations have also been demanding the withdrawal of the force from the violence-hit state. According to Times of India (TOI), public resentment against the force grew after a purported video of a heated exchange between police personnel and members of the Assam Rifles went viral recently over the style of operation. Besides Assam Rifles, CRPF, Indian Army, Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops are currently posted in Manipur, which has been riven by ethnic conflict since 3 May. What is Assam Rifles? Why are Meiteis and Kukis divided on the deployment of the paramilitary force in Manipur? We explain. Brief history of Assam Rifles Its origin can be traced back to 1835 when it was a militia called the ‘Cachar Levy’ tasked with protecting British tea estates and their settlements against tribal raids in the North East, as per Frontline magazine. It later became the Assam Frontier Force carrying out punitive expeditions beyond the borders of Assam. As per an Indian Express report, the force came to be known as the “right arm of the civil and left arm of the military” for its role in opening the region to administration and commerce. In 1870, existing elements were integrated into three Assam Military Police Battalions, named Lushai Hills, Lakhimpur and Naga Hills, the report added. This force sent more than 3000 personnel as part of the British Army to Europe and the Middle East. It was renamed Assam Rifles in 1917. After Independence, the force progressed from conducting combat roles during the Sino-India War in 1962 to operating as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka in 1987. In 1960, Rifles had 17 battalions, which have expanded to 46 battalions today, reported Frontline. Its troops have fought both World Wars and continue to be deployed for counterinsurgency operations against militant groups in the North East, noted Indian Express. Assam Rifles now Assam Rifles is one of the six central armed police forces (CAPFs) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. While its administrative control is with the MHA, its operational control is with the Indian Army which comes under the Ministry of Defence (MoD), making Rifles the only paramilitary force with a dual control structure, as per Indian Express. This has created a rift within Assam Rifles as well as between defence ministry and MHA with both demanding full control of the force. [caption id=“attachment_12972712” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Assam Rifles is one of the six central armed police forces (CAPFs) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. PTI File Photo[/caption] Contrary to all other central paramilitary forces, the headquarters of the Director-General of Assam Rifles (DGAR) is not in Delhi but in Meghalaya’s Shillong. Citing the force’s website, Frontline reported that in times of peace and ‘proxy war’, Rifles has to maintain the security of the India-China and Indo-Myanmar borders. When it comes to internal security, Rifles troops are deployed when the situation goes beyond the control of paramilitary forces, the magazine added. ALSO READ: Why refugee influx from Myanmar is a growing concern in Manipur, Mizoram Why are views divided over Assam Rifles in Manipur? Meitei people in Manipur have accused Assam Rifles of being biased and “siding” with the Kukis in the current conflict. In June, women from the majority community blocked trucks of the Assam Rifles carrying ration, leading to seven battalions of the force not getting fresh supply for several days, reported Indian Express. “They accuse the force of siding with the Kukis and say we will not allow your trucks to pass through. Much of our ration has rotted in the trucks. The times we have been able to break through these barricades, it has required massive coordination at various levels,” an Assam Rifles officer told the newspaper at the time. As per a Rediff.com report in July, many BJP MLAs from the Meitei community had written to Union home minister Amit Shah calling for the replacement of the 9th, 22nd and 37th units of the Assam Rifles. “We have requested the home minister to remove Assam Rifles from Manipur. On Monday (10 July) evening a meeting was organised at the honourable chief minister ’s (office after which it was decided to ask the home minister to remove the Assam Rifles from Manipur,” a Meitei MLA told the web portal. An MLA from the majority community also accused Assam Rifles of “supporting Kuki-narco terrorists”. However, a Kuki MLA denied these allegations and objected to the removal of the force from the state. “Some of the radicals from groups like the Meitei Leepun, Arambai Tengol and some women groups like the Meira Paibis (Meitei women activists) are in the forefront of this demand,” the Kuki MLA told Rediff.com. [caption id=“attachment_12972742” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Meitei women protest against Assam Rifles in Imphal on 7 August. PTI[/caption] “We shouldn’t replace the Assam Rifles because they protect and safeguard the lives of people from both sides (the Kukis and the Meiteis). Common people from both sides trust the Assam Rifles and don’t want these forces to leave Manipur,” he added. Last week, hundreds of Kuki-Zo women in the Kangpokpi district hit the streets urging Assam Rifles troops not to leave a village bordering Imphal West, an area dominated by Meiteis. According to The Telegraph, the women staged a 12-hour protest to stop Assam Rifles personnel deployed in the peripheral area from being shifted to Churachandpur by the Manipur government. Lamminlun Singsit, secretary of the Kangpokpi-based Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), told The Telegraph that an Assam Rifles officer later told the women that the order shifting the troops to Churachandpur “has been cancelled”. Distrust remains high between both the majority and tribal communities. While Kuki-Zo organisations have accused Manipur police of “siding” with extremist Meitei groups in the conflict, Meiteis have blamed “infiltrators” from Myanmar and radical Kuki groups for the violence. With inputs from agencies