GUWAHATI: With challenges getting increasingly technical and complicated, Assam’s Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay has insisted on modernisation of the police force.“It (Assam Police) is a very professional force with a long history. It’s been there since 1876 and has shown its mettle in fighting militancy. However, it now has to modernise rapidly because the challenges are getting more and more technical and complicated. I am sure it will be able to keep pace with the requirements,” Sahay, who hangs up his boots later this month, told The Sunday Standard.
He has been fairly successful as there has not been a single major incident of insurgency in Assam since he took charge in December 2015.Talking about insurgency, he said there was a time when the problem was across the state but it was now confined to a few pockets.“The pockets are bordering Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. They give the insurgents a passage to Myanmar where they are holed up and have an umbrella organisation. So, that is still a problem area.
We are trying our best to contain them in close synergy with Arunachal and Nagaland. Similarly, there are some elements active along the Bhutan border and the hill districts. But something that was once a state-wide phenomenon is today confined to a few pockets. So, while we have moved much ahead, the task is still unfinished,” Sahay said. The Hmar People’s Convention (Democracy) is the last insurgent group in Mizoram to make peace recently. Asked if a similar situation can be expected in Assam, he said things were headed in that direction.
He said most rebel groups in the state were in some sort of ceasefire talks or suspension of operations but a section was still waging an armed struggle. They are down but not out, he said.“We have a two-pronged strategy. One, whoever wants to join the mainstream, we will help them by rehabilitating them and making them proud citizens of the country. But those who are still holding on to the gun and trying to challenge the sovereignty of the nation, we have to discharge our duties. This is what we are doing,” Sahay said.
Asked about the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalism, the DGP said Assam Police had so far been able to contain the menace. “The problem is there and we are trying to respond to it, both in the physical space and cyber space. We are building capacity,” he said.Sahay said society had a big role to play in dissuading youngsters from joining forces inimical to the country’s interests.
“Everyone, including the administration, police and government, has a role to play. But society at large has to ensure that the task is achieved. It has to come out and assert it will not allow youth to succumb to such ideas and enter wrong channels.” He admitted that Assam Police would have to do a lot more to contain conventional crimes.“Pro-active crime control is one area where we have a long way to go. Then, there is the issue of welfare of policemen. The housing satisfaction of police personnel in the country is low. In Assam, it is lower. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has asked me to work out a plan. We can develop townships where policemen and their families can stay together,” Sahay added.