Wednesday, October 5 2005 10:12 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Shillong: Facing a new enemy, the Assam Rifles is readying itself for an all-out war against HIV/AIDS with an unprecedented strategy- it has made mandatory for all its personnel to carry a packet of condoms.

With 133 personnel having already been infected by the killer HIV/AIDS, this unique directive from the Assam Rifles' top brass is aimed at saving its rank and file from further onslaught of the pandemic.

Carrying condoms was made compulsory for the North East-specific force as the region is vulnerable to the killer virus for more than one reasons. With the jawans hailing from all parts of the country and away from their families for long, the protection would save them from getting infected.

That the Assam Rifles is combating the menace on a 'war footing' is evident from its Director General Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh's action plan. He minced no words to admit that more jawans were dying because of AIDS than to direct military action.

"We accept the menace and do not deny it in the force. The trend is increasing as the first case was detected way back in 1992 while the last one only four days back," he said.

Most jawans were affected by sexual contact although drug abuse was also a common problem in the north east," Singh said adding many of the jawans acquire it from women who take drugs.

The General said since the force was meant for the north-east and would be staying in the region only, the menace would have to be fought at any cost.

The 170-year-old paramilitary force created purely to address the security needs of the region, also took upon itself to address health, education and social issues plaguing different states over the years.

Notwithstanding the problem at hand, the Assam Rifles authorities did not discharge a single HIV-affected soldier from service. On the contrary, it arranged medical treatment and gave proper counselling, spending Rs two crore annually on not only the affected but also other jawans to minimise the damage.

Lt Gen Singh said besides spreading awareness campaign on the HIV/AIDS among the jawans to help them fight it, the force was also identifying the 'weak areas' like Dimapur, Tezpur and other transit points and trying to 'insulate' these places.

Recently, an underground outfit of the region issued a press release saying it was using some HIV-infected women to 'neutralise' the security forces. Describing the menace as a security threat, the DG said the disease posed a threat to the economic, human and even traditional notion of security.

The world community has recognised HIV/AIDS as a security issue in the sense that it challenges human security, threatens social, political and economic stability as well as the military.