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Rashtriya Rifles

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Rashtriya Rifles
Insignia of the Rashtriya Rifles
Active1990 – present
Country India
Branch Indian Army
TypeCounter-insurgency
Size80,000
HeadquartersUdhampur, Jammu and Kashmir
Nickname(s)RR
Motto(s)Dridhta aur virta (courage and valour)
War CryBajrangbali ki jai (glory to lord Hanuman)
Commanders
Additional Directorate GeneralAnupam Bhagi
Insignia
InsigniaCrossed AK-47 with Ashoka Chakra
Flag

The Rashtriya Rifles (RR; transl. National rifles) is a counter-insurgency force in India, formed in 1990, to deal with internal security in the Jammu and Kashmir region.[1] They maintain public order by drawing powers from the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 (AFSPA).[2] Its personnel are provided by the Indian Army on deputation.[1]

The RR was raised by the Indian Army by reconstituting two corps (about 75,000 troops).[3] The RR is commanded by an Additional Director General of Rashtriya Rifles (ADG RR).[4]

History

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The continuous deployment of the Indian Army in domestic counter-insurgency operations, alongside the existing conventional duties at the borders, necessitated a specially structured and organized force to manage India's internal security challenges while also supporting the Indian Army during conventional conflicts.[5] In 1988, a proposal for a counter-insurgency force was presented to the Government of India.[6]

Rashtriya Rifles was raised on 1 October 1990 by the then Chief of the Army Staff, General V. N. Sharma, with Lieutenant General P. C. Mankotia serving as its first Director General of Rashtriya Rifles (DG RR). The force was composed entirely of personnel on deputation from the Indian Army. Initially, six battalions were raised, with three deployed in Punjab and three in Jammu and Kashmir. Under the leadership of General B. C. Joshi, the RR underwent substantial expansion, including raising a sector in Northeast India.[5]

By 1994, prior to his passing, General Joshi had expanded the force to 36 battalions through persistent advocacy with the government.[6] Eventually, all battalions were repositioned exclusively to Jammu and Kashmir, where they have since engaged in low-intensity conflicts.[5] The Indian Army describes RR as their "specialist elite force to combat insurgency". Their motto is dridta aur veerta, meaning determination and valour.[7]

Since its inception, the Rashtriya Rifles has neutralised a total of 16,368 terrorists, including 8,522 killed, 6,737 apprehended, and 1,109 who surrendered, as of 2015.[5]

Funding

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Until 1997, the Rashtriya Rifles was funded by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), as internal security fell under its jurisdiction, despite the force being carved out from existing Indian Army regiments. From 1990 onwards, the MHA owed a sum of ₹950 crore to the Army for the raising and equipping of the RR. Beginning in the 1998-99 fiscal year, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) allocated separate funds for the RR under the Army's demands for grants. By the end of 2005, the force was projected to consist of 66 battalions, each with 1,150 personnel dedicated to counter-insurgency operations. The budgetary allocation for the force rose significantly, from ₹263 crore in 1998-99 to ₹1,414 crore in 2006-07.[8]

Crest

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The RR crest consists of the Ashoka Chakra and two crossed Kalashnikov rifles with fixed bayonets. Beneath, in a banner, is emblazoned the RR's motto: Dridhta aur Veerta (Persistence and Valour).

Organisation

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RR units are organized under five "Counter Insurgency Force" (CIF) HQs. Each CIF is responsible for an area of the Kashmir Valley and Jammu Division.

Victor Force and Kilo Force operate under the control of the XV Corps. Delta Force, Romeo Force operate under the control of XVI Corps.

Uniform Force, which earlier used to operate under the XVI Corps, was moved from the Poonch sector to the Ladakh sector (under I Corps) in 2020 to counter Chinese aggression.

Operational sectors

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The areas covered by the CIFs are further divided into sectors:

Battalions

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RR comprises 65 battalions.[9] Each battalion has over 1,100 men organized into six companies. [10] Known RR battalion affiliations include:


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In the 2024 Tamil-language biographical film Amaran, follows the life of former Rastriya Rifles Major Mukund Varadarajan and briefs about the Rastriya Rifles, notably RR-44.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Rashtriya Rifles". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  2. ^ Chakravarti, Sudeep (15 August 2019). "J&K bifurcation leaves a host of unresolved issues". Mint. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Paramilitary Forces and Internal Security". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  4. ^ Gurung, Shaurya Karanbir (1 April 2019). "Army Rejig: Now ADG to head Rashtriya Rifles". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Silver Jubilee of Rashtriya Rifles". Business Standard. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b Dasgupta, Sunil (15 April 1995). "Rashtriya Rifles, the new force becomes army's biggest expansion in recent times". India Today. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Combat Edge - The Rashtriya Rifles". Indianarmy.nic.in. Indian Army. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  8. ^ Economic and Political Weekly. Sameeksha Trust. March 2006. p. 1339. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  9. ^ P361 The Military Balance, 2010, The International Institute for Strategic Studies
  10. ^ https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/rashtriya-rifles.htm
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