Indigenous dog breeds strengthen Assam Rifles’ Atmanirbhar initiative

Highlighting the Centre’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, the Assam Rifles is steadily inducting indigenous Indian dog breeds into its canine squad to enhance operational capability while reducing dependence on foreign breeds, a senior officer said.

Speaking on the initiative, Lt Col Alok Palei, Officer Commanding of the Assam Rifles Dog Training Centre (ARDTC), Jorhat, said the force has already inducted the Tangkhul Hui, a native breed from Manipur, and is in the process of introducing the Kombai breed from Tamil Nadu in a phased manner.

“At present, the Assam Rifles has an authorised strength of 344 dogs, of which 253 dogs are currently deployed across the country,” Lt Col Palei said, adding that the force has over 1,200 trained dog handlers supporting canine operations.

For the first time, the Assam Rifles’ dog squads now include female dog handlers, marking a significant step towards gender inclusion in specialised operational roles. According to the officer, women handlers are actively participating in training and field deployments alongside their male counterparts.

Lt Col Palei said that Assam Rifles dogs are deployed in multiple states, including operational areas in the Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir, and play a critical role in counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, explosive detection, narcotics detection and tracking operations.

He further stated that the Assam Rifles Dog Training Centre at Jorhat, the only such facility of the force, also trains personnel from various police and security agencies, strengthening inter-force coordination and capacity building.

On the performance of indigenous breeds, Lt Col Palei said the Tangkhul Hui dogs have shown high disease resistance and adaptability, making them suitable for Indian climatic and terrain conditions. The Kombai breed is being inducted following a structured process involving identification of parent stock, breeding and training before full operational deployment.

The officer said both indigenous breeds are expected to be fully integrated into the Assam Rifles’ canine unit by 2027, in line with the Ministry of Home Affairs’ directive encouraging the use of local breeds in central armed police forces.

“This initiative reflects self-reliance not just in equipment, but also in building sustainable and effective operational resources,” Lt Col Palei said.