Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the Lachit Barphukan Police Academy in Golaghat district to inspect ongoing construction. He wants the facility to meet national standards. This move aims to turn the site into a high-tech training center for state officers.
Sarma spent the day assessing more than just the academy. He audited police stations, battalions, and Model Police Lines spread across four different districts. The review included a status check on the newly formed Smart Response Unit. He demands results. His focus remains on fixing police infrastructure and sharpening the operational readiness of the entire force.
Updated at 4th September 2026 at 1:49am
Beyond infrastructure, the government is launching a massive recruitment drive to bring in 15,000 to 20,000 fresh personnel. Officials also plan to fast track promotions for 5,000 existing officers. The state aims to boost its conviction rate to 35 percent by the end of the year, a jump from the eight percent recorded in 2020. Sarma credited the current 29.3 percent rate to faster filing of charge sheets.
The crackdown on drug trafficking is heating up with the creation of an Anti-Narcotics Task Force. This unit will tackle the drug trade by targeting financial networks and legal loopholes that allow dealers to secure bail. The force will also take over investigations into complex economic crimes. To handle the increased personnel, the state plans to triple police housing from the current 10,000 units to 30,000.
Sarma also ordered the formation of two new battalions: one focused on disaster management and another to secure Oil India and ONGC installations. Looking ahead, the government is moving on the Gohpur-Numligarh tunnel, a massive engineering project projected to become the world's second-longest road tunnel.
Updated at 4th September 2026 at 1:48pm
Sarma set a one-month deadline to launch the Anti-Narcotics Task Force. The unit will deploy specialized legal and financial teams to plug holes in the bail system and dismantle the money trails feeding drug cartels. The state also plans to coordinate cross-border enforcement with Mizoram, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh to seal transit routes.
Construction at the Lachit Barphukan Police Academy is moving into its second phase, a project valued at over Rs 200 crore. The expansion adds barracks for 1,500 trainees along with new housing. Sarma ordered officials to study training tactics at the Assam Regimental Centre and other Army hubs to upgrade the facility. He wants the academy's museum professionally curated and the campus opened up along the highway for better public visibility.
Beyond security, Sarma touted the five-year anniversary of the Karbi Peace Accord. He credited the 2021 agreement for ending the cycle of violence in Karbi Anglong and shifting the region toward infrastructure growth and tribal welfare.
Updated at 4th September 2026 at 5:48pm
Legal pressure on drug syndicates is mounting. A special NDPS court in Kamrup Metropolitan district recently sentenced three traffickers to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment for a 2020 methamphetamine bust. Shakil Khan, Md. Yahiya Khan, and Mithilesh Kumar must also pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh each or serve an additional year behind bars. The Narcotics Control Bureau confirmed the conviction stemmed from the seizure of over two kilograms of meth in Guwahati.
Separately, police in Sribhumi district intercepted two vehicles at Badarpur, pulling 14,000 Yaba tablets worth Rs 1.4 crore off the street. Five suspects are currently in custody for the haul. The Chief Minister touted the operation as a win for the state's aggressive stance against regional drug smuggling routes.
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