M S Nazki
The Rashtriya Rifles is pride of the nation and a nightmare for the regardless! i
-I usually start a story on a casual note but this was a serious affair!
-If one looks at the history of the Rashtriya rifles Inian army one would stand bewildered
- We can only use a few words for them and they include: courageous, fearless, valiant. Heroic, gallant and bold !
-The Rashtriya Rifles (RR), the Indian Army’s premier counter-insurgency force, boasts some of the most inspiring tales of valor.
-Over the decades, its soldiers have been awarded India’s highest honors, including the Ashoka Chakra and Kirti Chakra.
-These standout stories and awardees highlight the incredible bravery displayed by RR personnel in Jammu and Kashmir:
-Major Mukund Varadarajan (Ashoka Chakra, Posthumously)
Unit: 44 Rashtriya Rifles (22 Rajput)
The Story: In April 2014, Major Mukund led an operation in Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir, to eliminate heavily armed terrorists who had taken civilian hostages in a house. Displaying raw courage, he crawled to the outhouse, killed the lead terrorist, and sustained fatal bullet injuries in a fierce close-quarter gunfight. Before succumbing, he charged into the remaining terrorists, ensuring the elimination of the entire group.
-Award: Posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award.
-Lance Naik Meenatchi Sundaram A (Kirti Chakra)!
-Unit: 34 Rashtriya Rifles (Regiment of Artillery)
-The Story: During a highly intense 2024 counter-terrorism operation in Kulgam, J&K, Lance Naik Sundaram was struck by heavy terrorist gunfire, receiving severe wounds to his face and right shoulder. Despite bleeding heavily and facing intense close-quarter combat, he displayed unimaginable resilience, refused to withdraw, and charged forward to neutralize a hardcore terrorist at point-blank range, saving the lives of his fellow soldiers.
-Award: Conferred the Kirti Chakra, India’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award.
-Colonel Manpreet Singh (Kirti Chakra, Posthumously)!
-Unit: 19 Rashtriya Rifles (Sikh Light Infantry)
-The Story: Operating in the treacherous terrain of Anantnag, J&K, in September 2023, Colonel Manpreet led the vanguard of an assault against entrenched terrorists. Leading from the front to protect his men and corner the insurgents, he absorbed heavy enemy fire. His gallant leadership and ultimate supreme sacrifice ensured the containment of the terrorists.
-Award: Posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra.
-Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh (Ashoka Chakra, Posthumously)
-Unit: 57 Rashtriya Rifles (Rajput)
-The Story: In 2014, while tracking down a group of terrorists in Kupwara, Naik Neeraj was ambushed by heavy fire. He was injured but managed to pin down the terrorists and rescue a wounded colleague. He then crawled to assault a terrorist bunker, lobbing grenades and engaging in hand-to-hand combat to eliminate the militants. He succumbed to his injuries during the operation.
-Award: Posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra.
-Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani (Ashoka Chakra, Posthumously)
-Unit: 34 Rashtriya Rifles
-The Story: A former militant who had surrendered and joined the Territorial Army, Wani became a phenomenal asset in J&K. During a joint operation in Shopian in November 2018, he eliminated six dreaded terrorists. Though he sustained severe injuries after being hit multiple times, he killed a second terrorist in hand-to-hand combat and was fatally wounded while providing cover to his trapped comrades.
-Award: Posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra.
-An elite force:
The Rashtriya Rifles (RR) is an elite counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism force of the Indian Army. Established in 1990, it operates primarily in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, maintaining peace through its highly trained personnel deputed from various Indian Army regiments.
-History and Formation Raised on October 1, 1990, by then Chief of Army Staff General V.N. Sharma, the force was specifically structured to address the escalating militancy in Kashmir.
-The intent was to relieve regular army formations of continuous counter-insurgency duties, allowing them to focus on conventional warfare.
-How It’s Structured:
The RR is not a traditional regiment; it is a highly specialized, diverse force made up of volunteers drawn from all major regiments of the Indian Army (including the Rajput, Gorkha, Sikh, Jat, Dogra, and Maratha regiments).Command: It operates directly under the authority of the Ministry of Defence and is headed by the Additional Director General Rashtriya Rifles.
-Deployment Grid: The force operates out of six major “Force Headquarters,” each assigned to a specific region in Jammu and Kashmir to form a comprehensive operational grid.
-Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it….! Your pride for your country should not come after your country becomes great; your country becomes great because of your pride in it. Their roles and actions include: Conducting specialized anti-terror, guerrilla, and urban combat operations. Working closely with local police and intelligence agencies to neutralize militant networks! -Engaging with local communities to rebuild infrastructure and provide humanitarian aid during natural disasters………
The absolute key to success in Counter-Insurgency (COIN) Operations is winning the support and trust of the local population.
-Because insurgents rely on the people for information, supplies, and sanctuary, isolating guerrillas depends on convincing civilians that the government provides superior security, services, and future stability.
-Building up a robust and enduring COIN capability requires focusing on these interconnected pillars:1. Intelligence and Information DominanceHuman Intelligence (HUMINT): The best intelligence comes from the local populace. Trust must be built so citizens feel safe reporting insurgent movements.
Counter-Propaganda: Insurgents often use disinformation to manipulate the population. Security forces must maintain transparent, accurate, and rapid communication to counter this.
-Precision Targeting: Minimize civilian casualties and collateral damage. Utilizing specialized units—such as India’s Rashtriya Rifles in Kashmir or the elite Greyhounds—ensures that operations are precise and intelligence-driven rather than indiscriminate.
-Population Security and ControlClear-Hold-Build: The foundational operational framework. First, clear an area of armed insurgents; second, hold the area securely by embedding troops among the population; third, rebuild essential services and local infrastructure.
-Rule of Law: Operations must operate within legal and moral frameworks (e.g., adhering to clear rules of engagement). Actions that alienate the public or violate human rights inherently fuel the insurgency.
-Governance and Capacity Building Legitimate Local Leadership: Military force alone cannot defeat an insurgency. The ultimate goal is to marginalize insurgents politically by installing competent, responsive, and legitimate provisional authorities and police forces.
-Essential Services: Addressing the core grievances that cause unrest—such as a lack of economic opportunity, food insecurity, or poor infrastructure—strips insurgents of their rallying cries.
- Interagency and International Unity of Effor tUnified Strategy: Military efforts must be closely aligned with police, intelligence, and civil/humanitarian agencies. A whole-of-government approach ensures that tactical military gains are converted into permanent political stability.Local Force Development: Transitioning security responsibilities to indigenous forces prevents long-term dependency and allows the host nation to maintain sovereignty.
-Mottos Dridhta aur virta (Courage and Valour)
-War Cry Bajrangbali ki jai (Glory to Lord Hanuman)
-Anniversaries 1 October
The Rashtriya Rifles (RR; transl. National rifles) is a counter-terrorism[2] force in India, formed in 1990, to deal with internal security in the Jammu and Kashmir region. They maintain public order by drawing powers from the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 (AFSPA). Its personnel are provided by the Indian Army on deputation.
The force operates under the Ministry of Defence. The Indian Army describes RR as its “specialist elite force to combat insurgency.” The RR is headquartered at Northern Command in Udhampur and commanded by an Additional Director General of Rashtriya Rifles (ADG RR).
-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 (US$99 million) 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 (equivalent to ₹26 billion or US$270 million in 2023) in 1998-99 to ₹1,414 crore (equivalent to ₹45 billion or US$470 million in 2023) in 2006-07. Today, the RR budget is allocated separately from the Army’s budget under distinct heads. In 2024-25, the government of India allocated ₹10,534 crore (US$1.1 billion) as demands for grants.
-The Rashtriya Rifles (RR) has a distinct administrative and organizational structure compared to the Indian Army. It lacks formal categorization and is often described as a paramilitary force. In terms of training and equipment, it occupies a position between a paramilitary organization and the regular army. General K. V. Krishna Rao, former Chief of the Army Staff, referred to it as “a semi-military organization”.
- Unlike the Army, RR battalions have support services, such as the Indian Army Service Corps and Indian Army Corps of Engineers, available at the battalion level rather than the brigade level. Each battalion consists of six companies without heavy weapons, though troops are trained to operate them. Unlike regular Army units, RR units are stationed in fixed locations and operate under five sector headquarters, each led by a two-star ranking Major General: Victor Force (Valley (Kashmir)), Kilo Force (Kupwara and Baramulla), Delta Force (Doda), Romeo Force (Rajouri and Poonch), and Uniform Force (Udhampur).
The personnel in RR come on deputation from all arms and services of the Indian Army. Originally, only 25% of RR personnel were meant to be drawn from the Indian Army, with the remainder recruited from ex-servicemen and lateral inductees from other paramilitary forces. RR battalions are affiliated with various regiments of the Army, with their officers and soldiers typically serving a tenure of around 30 months. Since RR units operate in places designated as “disturbed areas”, they operate by the provisions of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). The RR underwent significant expansion during the Bharatiya Janata Party-administration, with its strength increasing from 36 battalions in 1999 to a planned 66 battalions by 2005.[However, three battalions did not receive final sanction, leaving the total at 63 battalions with a strength of approximately 75,000 personnel by 2005.[
According to the Ministry of Defence, the RR is the “counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism arm of the Indian Army”. Since its inception, the RR has neutralised a total of 16,368 terrorists, including 8,522 killed, 6,737 apprehended, and 1,109 who surrendered, as of 2015. The Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry does not have an RR battalion associated with it because its troops are all recruited locally from the J&K region, which provides valuable local resources and knowledge of terrain, language, and information of the region to the army; hence, the regiment has small teams allocated to all RR battalions instead of having its own RR battalion.
Counter Insurgency Force
-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.
-Counter Insurgency Force (CIF) R / Romeo Force – Rajouri and Poonch.
-Counter Insurgency Force (CIF) D / Delta Force – Doda and Kishtwar.
-Counter Insurgency Force (CIF) V / Victor Force – Valley districts (Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam,h and Budgam).
-Counter Insurgency Force (CIF) K / Kilo Force – Kupwara, Baramulla, and Srinagar.
-Counter Insurgency Force (CIF) U / Uniform Force – Udhampur and Banihal, now also covering Ladakh.
-Victor Force and Kilo Force operate under the control of the XV Corps. Delta Force and 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.
-So to the last few lines: I have observed that the prosperity or misery of each people is in direct proportion to its liberties or its prejudices and, accordingly, to the sacrifices or the selfishness of its forefathers. I am of old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise, Regardless of others, ever regardful of others, Maternal as well as paternal, a child as well as a man, Stuffed with the stuff that is course, and stuffed with the stuff that is fine, one of the nation, of many nations, the smallest the same and the largest…………Think about it !
