Government empowers Assam Rifles personnel to search, arrest without warrant
(Sourced from PTI)
Assam Rifles personnel have been empowered by the Central government to arrest anyone and search a place without a warrant in northeastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram. According to Home Ministry notification, "an officer of the rank corresponding to that of the lowest rank of members of Assam Rifles" has been given these powers under the Code of Criminal Procedure."
The personnel will exercise these powers and discharge their duties "under CrPC sub-section(1) of section 41, sections 47, 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 149, 150, 151 and 152 within local limits comprised within border districts of Assam, AP, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram", it said.
Section 41 states that any police-officer may, without an order or warrant from a magistrate, arrest any person. Section 47 gives powers for the search of the place entered by the person sought to be arrested. Section 48 says a police-officer may, for the purpose of arresting without warrant any person whom he's authorized to arrest, pursue such person into any place in India.
According to Section 49, the person arrested shall not be subjected to more restraint than is necessary to prevent his escape. The Assam Rifles is the leading counter-insurgency force in the Northeast. It guards the sensitive India-Myanmar border. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which is operational in some parts of the Northeast, also gives similar powers to the Army operating in the region.
