The Rashtriya Rifles: The temporary force that stayed 36 years
The Rashtriya Rifles, originally intended as a temporary counter-insurgency force, has remained active for 36 years and grown into a major military formation. The article explores its history, expansion, and significant role in India's internal security.
Why it matters
It provides insight into the institutionalization of temporary military measures and their long-term impact on regional security dynamics.
The Rashtriya Rifles was raised as a force that could be wound up by executive order. Thirty-six years later, it is among the Indian Army’s most decorated formations.Indian governments have a particular talent for the permanent temporary arrangement. The Calcutta tram, which has spent most of my adult life apparently months away from abolition, is one example. The Rashtriya Rifles is another, though rather better armed.When it was raised on 1 October 1990, with six battalions - three sent to Punjab, three to Jammu and Kashmir - the RR was constituted under a provision of the Union Composite Table that allowed it to be disbanded by executive order.
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