After engines, cars: A train pulled by a bullet-proof engine in Assam

Guwahati, Sept. 5: For the first time, the Assam government will provide a shield to its district-level police officers engaged in counter-insurgency operations.

Sources said the state would buy 41 bullet-proof vehicles for superintendents of police (SP) and additional SP-level officers engaged in operations in difficult terrain and remote areas of the state.

“The proposal which was submitted by Assam police about a month ago was cleared by the state home department last evening,” an official source said.

He said this was the first time that district-level officers will be provided with such vehicles, which were earlier provided only to VIPs and higher-ranked police officers under threat from militants.

A similar experiment of providing bullet-proof tractors to police in Punjab had paid rich dividends with security forces managing to take on Khalistani militants in a more effective manner.

“It will cut down the risk on the lives of the police officers who lead counter-insurgency operations,” he said.

“Those who are on the hit list of the militants are most vulnerable to an ambush when they are travelling in their cars and taking cognisance of that the proposal was mooted by the state police,” the source said.

The bullet-proof cars will be procured with funds provided under the Assam police modernisation scheme.

“Going by the home department, 41 bullet-proof vehicles will be procured in the first phase. Of these, 25 will be Mahindra Boleros and 16 Tata Safaris. We have plans to procure more such vehicles in the second phase subject to government approval,” the police source said.

He said the cost per unit of vehicle would be not less than Rs 10 lakh.

“Bullet-proofing comes with a hefty price tag. Generally, the price of a bullet-proof vehicle is almost double the market price of its regular version,” he added.

Some of the states in the country which has the highest number of bullet-proof vehicles are Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab.

On the allotment of the vehicles, the source said the cars would be provided strictly on the threat faced by them and the areas where the officers are working.

“In the first phase, these customised cars will be provided to officers posted in trouble-torn areas like Karbi Anglong, North Cachar Hills and other insurgency-infested areas,” he said.

The allotment will be finalised after conducting a review by Assam police headquarters. “In the second phase, there is a plan to provide such cars to more officers,” he added.