Will Rashtriya Rifles be merged with Army?
The integration of Rashtriya Rifles (RR) with the Army, as suggested in an article in this newspaper recently, will make this force more effective. Despite being manned by the Army and being a part of it in more ways than one, RR is called a paramilitary force. It has not only proved its mettle in counter-insurgency operations in J&K and in the North East but has also come to stay as the premium force to control insurgency. In spite of its commendable performance, it has not been made a permanent force and that is why it gets lease of life from time to time. The government agreed, though reluctantly, to raise this force with manpower from the Army in the early 90s because of militancy related problems in Punjab and J&K. Given the prejudice of our politicians and bureaucrats against the Army, which dates back to the Nehru era, the RR is neither likely to be integrated with the Army nor will it get a permanent status. In the Karachi Agreement, after the 1947 war, India had shown14 J&K Mi
