Assam Rifles stand with the people of Manipur: Director Gen of AR Vikas Lakhera

Shillong, Nov. 25: Assam Rifles is standing with the people of Manipur and trying to do the best it can in all situations, said Director General of Assam Rifles Lieutenant General Vikas Lakhera on Sunday.

"We are part of the people... We serve the people and we try our best despite whatever happens," the Assam Rifles DG said at the sidelines of the Assam Rifles half marathon organised by the paramilitary force at its headquarters at Laitkor.

"We are here to come together with the people... we will not let it go... We are part of the society and we are not different," he said.

Manipur is on the boil for the past several months and many people have been killed, raped, and properties destroyed in the ethnic clash among different communities. The Centre has sent additional forces to quell the clashes.

On the other hand, Assam Rifles is one of the major forces deployed in Manipur for the simple reason that it's mandated to guard the India-Myanmar border. The paramilitary force is also engaged in counter-militancy operations in Manipur and states sharing borders with Myanmar.

Lt Gen Lakhera, on the other hand, said raising a new battalion of the paramilitary force is a decision that the Central government would make and the force has little power in taking such decisions.

However, the force has been actively inducting advanced technology so that the paramilitary force remains at the forefront of both security operations and humanitarian assistance.

Alternatively, the paramilitary force's priority is to give the best to its personnel so that they can serve the people of the region. "We will do what is right and we will not deviate from the right," he stated.

In engagement with society, the Assam Rifles undertakes several initiatives, especially, at times of emergencies like natural calamities be it floods, landslides, accidents, or other medical crises.

"We are the single largest donor of blood in the region. So, we can say our soldiers' blood runs in the veins of countless citizens in the northeast," the DG said.

- By Staff Correspondent