Hunting In Silence: Amid Security Dilemmas in North East, Assam Police Emerge as Strong Security Cover For Region

India is surrounded by some geostrategic security dilemma that impacts its internal and external frontiers. At the internal level, we have at the north- Punjab's Khalistam issue, which was burning in the 1980s-1990s. At the external level, we have at the west, J&K sharing an international boundary with our forever enemy Pakistan, down south, we have Tamil Nadu sharing coastal proximity with Sri Lanka, and spillovers of the Sri Lanka civil war are well known. All these fronts and the security response are now well covered and known. However, one front, which is in our East, is perhaps more lethal and complicated when it comes to guerrilla warfare in North East did not get much attention, as the present IB Chief Tapan Deka said that Assam Police contributions in counter-insurgency are not given much attention. The ongoing insurgency in Manipur explains how dangerous is the counter-insurgency landscape of the Northeast East. As comprehensive power of paramilitary forces is being fully utilized in bolstering the Counter Insurgency operations. The Assam Police is acting as a strong frontline defence in not letting any spillover effect, and cross-state disturbances engulf North East. As per the assessment, it seems that Assam police's counter-insurgency tempo is growing. Assam Police's improvement in security response is perhaps can be assessed at strategic and operational levels. At the strategic level, Assam Police, under the leadership of G.P Singh, has taken strong measures from improving the operational readiness, advancing the training with the Army, creating a Riots Control Team to enhance the conflict management response, and upgrading both weaponry and equipment. At the operational level, Assam Police's coordination and operational response with the security agencies has significantly improved. The recent joint operation of NIA and Assam Police to foil Rohingya infiltration is one example. Similarly. a few months back, the decision to deploy Assam Police at critical installations and replace the paramilitary force. Upping the tempo in carrying out offensive and counter offensive operations against ULFA and not letting the outfit exploit the situation shows Assam Police's growing operational and strategic capability, the results of which are seemingly visible- AFPSA is now almost on the verge of getting replead from Assam. This long jump in Assam Police's profile within one year is an example of the visionary and strong leadership of DGP G.P Singh and the collective efforts of the centre and state government. In such a position, given security dilemmas in the heightened security environment, we can say that Assam Police has now emerged as a strong security cover and guarantor of peace and stability in the region.