ASSAM
RIFLES - DEFENCE & SECURITY
News:
Manipur asks Assam Rifles
to push back 718 refugees from Myanmar
What's
in the news?
● The
Manipur government asked the Assam Rifles to immediately "push back"
718 Myanmar nationals, including 301 children, who entered the State illegally.
Key
takeaways:
● The
State government also sought a detailed report from the border guarding force
on how the "refugees" were allowed to "enter illegally".
Assam
Rifles:
● Assam
Rifles is one of the six central armed
police forces (CAPFs). The other forces being the Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF), the Border Security Force (BSF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Sashastra Seema
Bal (SSB).
● It
has a sanctioned strength of over 63,000 personnel and has 46 battalions apart
from administrative and training staff.
Nodal
Ministry:
● It
is under the administrative control of the Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA).
Mandate:
● It
is tasked with the maintenance of law
and order in the North East along with the Indian Army and also guards the Indo-Myanmar border in the
region.
Uniqueness:
● It
is the only paramilitary force with a
dual control structure.
Dual
Control:
● While
the administrative control of the force is with the MHA, its operational control is with the Indian
Army, which is under the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
● This
means that salaries and infrastructure for the force is provided by the MHA,
but the deployment, posting, transfer and deputation of the personnel is
decided by the Army.
● All
its senior ranks, from DG to IG and sector headquarters are manned by officers
from the Army.
● The
force is commanded by Lieutenant General
from the Indian Army.
Other
Features:
● The
force is the only central paramilitary force (CPMF) in real sense as its
operational duties and regimentation are on the lines of the Indian Army.
● However,
being a Central Armed Police force under MHA, its recruitment, perks, promotion
of its personnel and retirement policies are governed according to the rules
framed by the MHA for CAPFs.