Good News from Rankhaam

The news that Rankhaam village close to the Assam-galand border is completely under the control of the Assam Police is indeed very heartening after a succession of depressing and morale-breaking news items about the killings and depredations by galand miscreants and militants, backed by the galand Police during the last few months. It is not only in recent times that the Assam Police personnel have failed to protect our territory and people in the border areas adjoining galand. Over the years and decades, the gas have maged to encroach on Assam territory along the border areas, especially around Merapani. Over the years, the extent of Assam territory annexed by galand has exceeded 66,000 hectares. In some of the Assam territory so annexed, the galand government has put up hospitals and other public buildings. For some reason or the other, the Assam Police had not been able to protect defenceless Assamese people in their own State along the Assam-galand border. In recent months, ga miscreants and militants had killed quite a few people of Assam and taken possession of their lands, homes and cattle without the Assam Police being able to provide any kind of protection.

However, a recent operation of the Assam Police, with adequate reinforcement from armed police units and security forces, has resulted in the illegal occupation of Rankhaam village by the gas being completely vacated and brought under the control of the Assam Police. During the occupation of the village by the gas, they had constructed some huts that have been demolished by our policemen. For the first time, ga trespassers and miscreants have been pushed back by the Assam Police. Two platoons of the 11th Assam Police Battalion, the 1st Assam Police Battalion, the commando force of the Assam Police Battalion from Guwahati, the Ranger force of the CRPF, the 3rd Mizoram IRBN and jawans of the Special Police Force were deployed for the operation. Armed with sophisticated weapons, these forces have set up camp within the village. While very senior police officers have visited the village for inspections, credit for the operation itself has gone to Amanjit Kaur, Superintendent of Police, Jorhat. She is reported to have supervised the entire operation that was led by Additiol Superintendent of Police Bipul Kumar Das. Observers have attributed the success of this operation to the bold and positive role of Amanjit Kaur. This is the first successful initiative of the Assam Police in protecting the State’s territory and evicting encroachers. It is also the first noteworthy step in their being able to push back ga encroachers and militants backed by the galand police. There is certainly cause for rejoicing but perhaps not for euphoria. This is because the ga encroachers have had a fairly long history of unchallenged success and supremacy, not to speak of the reputation of being able to inflict great humiliation on the Assam Police for being able to occupy Assam territory by force, in spite of the presence of the police force. This has turally created a sense of panic among the people of Assam living along the border. The ga miscreants will certainly not countence any initiative from this side of the border that may serve to dispel the fear psychosis among the victims that has been the strongest weapon of the miscreants. They are unlikely to take the Rankhaam setback lying down. One can, therefore, expect the ga miscreants to bide their time and wait for the security forces to withdraw. Thereafter, they can be expected to resume their attacks and acts of killing, arson and forceful occupation of Assamese households with greater numbers and enhanced firepower. This is what the Assam Police must be prepared for. It must also be prepared to inflict an even more convincing and humiliating defeat at the next encounter that is going to be far more powerful and purposeful. But for the present, we join everyone in the State in hailing a brave operation that should have taken place many, many years ago.