Naming places, the CRPF way
DURING the late 1970s, my unit, 18 CRPF, was deployed in Nagaland for counter-insurgency duties. In January 1979, the unit moved at short notice to the Merapani area in Sivasagar district (Assam), where armed miscreants from Nagaland had killed 54 persons along the interstate border. This area is now called DAB (Disputed Area Belt). I was commanding B company, which was tasked to establish platoon posts ahead of Merapani on a stretch of 15 km and carry out extensive patrolling to instil a sense of tranquility amongst the locals. Paddy and mustard crops were all around, with just a narrow foot track to proceed from Merapani. At places, embankments in the fields were also used to traverse the area.
Three camp sites were selected where tents were pitched for accommodation, using dry straw from locals. The major problem was of potable water. Locals advised us to excavate around four-feet deep pits in camps, wherein water would come up on its own within a few hours. I visited the hutments of some locals to see how water was collected from the ground. I found that a small pond-like water body was there in close proximity to every house. It is called pokhri in the vernacular language. Such pokhris are found in most north-eastern states. The groundwater level in that region is shallow due to excessive rains and a large number of rivers and streams. We, too, prepared a pokhri in our camps. But the water was inadequate for the strength of troops. On moving around, a shallow stream was found. A soil bundh was raised and water collected by diverting its flow. We used chlorine tablets and also filtered the water with cloth. That is how we managed for a few days until hand pumps were installed. Kerosene lamps and petromax were the source of light, the area being devoid of electricity supply.
We started receiving messages from the Unit HQ to intimate the name of camp locations. The area around was mostly uninhabited. We enquired from local settlers, but no one could name the place. With the CRPF dominating the area by extensive foot patrolling, many people who had fled started returning. A few settlers were Gurkha and tribals from Orissa and Bihar. They could converse in Hindi. I held a meeting with locals in the camps for better relations and collecting information. I raised the issue of naming the CRPF camp locations, which were to be in Assamese and appropriate with the local topography and culture. After discussions on suggested names, it was quite convincing to name one post as Dighol Pani as a nearby narrow stream flowed from hills and its route was curved like a long serpent. The second post was on a raised piece of land, like a plateau, so it was good to call it Odali Pothar. We sent these names to the Unit HQ. No one questioned us about the validity of these names. It was satisfying to learn that the Assam Government, too, accepted the names given by the CRPF and validated them in their revenue records.
