New Delhi, Feb. 17: The Assam Rifles yesterday apologised to journalists in Manipur, following the rap received from Union home minister Rajnath Singh when he visited Manipur last week.

Rajnath had a word of caution for the Assam Rifles, the country's oldest paramilitary force. "The home minister told the Assam Rifles to say sorry to journalists and said the press should not be harassed," said a top home ministry source.

Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju is also known to have spoken to the director-general Assam Rifles, Lt Gen. R.K Rana regarding the complaints, sources said.

Journalists in Manipur had alleged being insulted by some officers of the Assam Rifles when they accompanied Rajnath Singh and his entourage to Moreh. Some had complained they were insulted by Assam Rifles personnel while taking pictures.

Anthropologist Verrier Elwin had once described the Assam Rifles as "friends of the hill people". Rajnath apparently had to remind the paramilitary force to live up to that badge of honour.

Assam Rifles was raised as the Cachar Levy in 1835.

However, it is not just about misbehaviour with journalists that Assam Rifles has been accused of. Ever since the rape and murder of Th. Manorama in 2004 in which the armed forces earned a bad name, the force has been struggling to protect its honour in the conflict zone.

One of the talking points for Rajnath when he spoke to senior security forces officials was about protest by people on the Imphal-Moreh road "against the harassment by Assam Rifles at Khudenthabi". A case of harassment of local residents by the Assam Rifles at Khudenthabi in Chandel district last week had people up in arms.

With an unceasing movement against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Manipur, relations between people and security forces have not been exemplary. Rajnath raised the issue on his visit to Moreh and Imphal last week, sources said. "The problem is that we cannot push the forces too hard because they are also working hard, even suffering casualties," said a source close to the home minister.

Rajnath motivated the jawans by praising the hard work and got a briefing on border guarding along the Myanmar border.

Several valley-based groups like the UNLF and PLA continue to maintain camps across the border in Myanmar.

As business between India and Myanmar is projected to grow, security agencies are also expected to be given greater responsibility. "We are going to clear a land port station at Moreh in order to facilitate greater commercial ties with Myanmar," a home ministry source said.

The Centre has proposed an integrated checkpost here which will be functional soon, Rajnath has said.