The Tripura State Rifles (TSR), known for its election-related work in over 12 states, will provide security in the upcoming West Bengal and Assam Assembly elections. Ten TSR companies with 778 personnel will be sent to both states as per the Ministry of Home Affairs’ request. In West Bengal, voting for the 294-member Assembly will occur on April 23 and April 29, while Assam’s 126-member Assembly will vote on April 9, with results on May 4.
Two ad hoc battalions of the TSR, each with five companies, will handle election duties in Assam and West Bengal. The deployment is part of the Central forces, led by senior Commandants Amarjit Debbarma and Alok Bhattacharjee. Initially asked for 25 TSR companies, the Tripura government hesitated due to local elections in Tripura, including the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) and a by-election in Dharmanagar Assembly constituency.
The TSR, with 14 battalions including 11 India Reserve Battalions, has a history of election duty across states. Trained in counter-insurgency operations, TSR personnel have been pivotal in Tripura’s insurgency control. Besides, two TSR battalions are in Delhi, one with South Eastern Coalfields Limited in Chhattisgarh, and another securing Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s drilling sites in Tripura.
