Assam CM announces Alaboi Battle memorial

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Wednesday that the people of Assam need to unite in the fight against the "divisive forces" acting tacitly to hamper the growth and development of the state. The people of the state must remember the Alaboi Battle where Assamese soldiers belonging to different caste and creed put up a brave resistance against the Mughals on this day, Sonowal said at a function held at Dadara near here to commemorate the occassion.

The memorial function, coinciding with the 'bhumi poojan' of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, should instil in people the sense of creating resistance against all unscrupulous elements trying to be a deterrent against the growth and development initiatives of the government, he said.

The Battle of Alaboi, fought on August 5, 1669, reflects the supreme sacrifices of the Assamese soldiers and the Assam government would set up a war memorial in Kamrup as a tribute to them, the chief minister said. The battle, in which many Assamese soldiers were killed by the Mughals, had preceded the Saraighat Battle, led by Ahom General Lachit Barphukan.

"The Alaboi Battle had generated a strong sense of nationalism and served as a motivation for the great general Lachit Borphukan for retribution, leading to victory in the Saraigaht Battle against the Mughals," Sonowal said.

Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he is greatly indebted to the supreme sacrifices of the Assamese soldiers in the battle, which can never be forgotten. The state government would do everything possible to construct a war memorial at Kamrup and land for the purpose has already been earmarked, he added.

Reviewing different projects being implemented by the Assam Police in a meeting here, Sonowal said all field-level police officials across the state will be provided a fixed mobile number soon with a view to make police service delivery mechanism more prompt and responsive.

The mobile numbers to be issued against the posts will ensure easy access to police establishments by public and this new initiative will be launched soon, he said. He directed that wide publicity of the contact numbers must be done so that more and more people become aware.

Sonowal also underlined the need for making a more congenial working environment for police personnel in the field and made several suggestions, including retiring room at police stations and a boarding facility for outstation police personnel in Guwahati. Director General of Police Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta apprised the chief minister about the various projects undertaken by the Assam Police.

He said the detailed project report for the Rs 189- crore Assam Police Academy at Dergaon has been already prepared and work for its implementation would start soon. Mahanta said that the academy will be equipped with all modern amenities and best training facilities, besides avenues for modern IT interfaces to make the trainees efficient enough to deal with digital crimes. He also pointed out that construction for 73 police stations was taken up in the first phase, out of which 23 has already been inaugurated, and in the second phase, 38 police stations would be taken up.