Curbing Insurgency

First Ever Counter Insurgency Training Centre at Guwahati.

- Dwaipayan Dasgupta

Barely a couple of days ago, a news report has hit headlines of several mainstream newspaper in Assam which makes for an interesting reading. It is quoted as saying that the Assam Police Battalion in the State has for the first time had a counter insurgency and jungle guerrilla warfare training centre at Mandacata in North Guwahati.

This has become a reality thanks to the personal initiative of the new chief minister of the State Sarbananda Sonowal who advised the authorities of Assam police to open such a centre so that police jawans can undergo vigorous training and face up to the challenges of the insurgent groups without depending on the para-military force for logistic supports. The centre started initially with a close to 200 jawans drawn from various departments of Police to participate in the training. It was a two-month training course. Initially, they were imparted formal training. Thereafter they were given 15-day intensive training on specialized jungle warfare by the CRPF instructors.

There were various methods of training. For example, they were taught how to cross river/ rivers silently along with arms and ammunition and in guerrilla mode passing over hanging bridges in harsh conditions. They were trained about room intervention much in the same fashion as the NSG operatives entered the historic Taj Mahal during the terror attack at Mumbai resulting in the death of scores of innocent lives. Also, they were taught artificial rock-climbing.