Meet Assam's Elite Women Commandos

The women commando team of the Assam Police aims to promote women safety

Rising crime across Assam called for a parallel women police force, which led to the birth of Veerangana, the women commando team of the Assam Police. Officially commissioned on June 26, 2013, this unit aims to promote women safety and tackle crimes against women. Initially, the resilient team were tasked with handling cases of eve-teasing in Guwahati. Over the years, after a series of successful crackdowns, the team has grown in experience and now tackles all kinds of criminal cases against women. In fact, it serves as first responders and is responsible for rescuing women in trouble across the city. Trained in ‘silent drill’ known only to the US Marines, the team was guided by Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, IPS, during the training who is the present ADGP of the Fire and Emergency Services under Assam Police. We speak with Mahanta to find out more about the team.

Training Commandos

‘The idea behind Veerangana came as a spontaneous reaction after the unfortunate molestation incident of a girl on GS Road, Guwahati, in 2012,’ shared Mahanta. After the incident, Assam Police decided to launch a woman commando team whose priority was to create a sense of security amongst women citizens residing in the city. ‘Initially a team of 16 women police personnel were trained in Tamil Nadu in April, 2012, under the initiative of the then Director General of Police, Assam, Jayanto Narayan Choudhury, IPS. The team was named as the Veerangana Unit. Later, more women police constables from various units were trained at BTC, Dergaon. They were trained in martial arts, arms drill, and silent drill. They have also been trained in unarmed combat (UAC), commando training, and motor cycle riding, in addition to law subjects and more.’