Tracking down death to save lives Tuesday November 15

She's only eight years old and has already won four bravery awards. The latest was at the auditorium of the Directorate General of Assam Rifles (DGAR) in Shillong recently. She was given
commendation cards and a medal.

As the medal was hung around her neck, Kavita wagged her tail. But her companion, Setu, was missing. Setu also got an award for bravery, albeit posthumously. Additional DG Assam Rifles, Major General Ravinder Singh, gave the awards.

Kavita was given a military salute, and it was a proud moment for the No.1 Assam Rifles Dog Unit (ARDU) headquartered in Jorhat, which has 60 members in its canine squad. They have been doing a great job, saving people's lives.
Kavita, a shiny black Labrador, walks with a majestic stride. Her handler Havildar R S Negi is obviously proud. He says, ''She has won two silver medals, a bravery award for tracking down an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Manipur, and a DGAR commendation card.'' This makes Kavita the most decorated member of ARDU.

At the 1999 All India Police Meet in Chennai and later at Dergaon in Assam she had bagged silver medals.

The No.1 ARDU was started in 1997 and boasts of five dogs that have been decorated. Besides Kavita and Setu, Alka and Dolly have won commendation cards for bravery and meritorious service. Setu had detected 4.5 kg of IED in Tripura, Alka detected 3 kg of IED in Manipur in 2003 and was awarded the Eastern Command Commendation Card and Dolly was given an award for tracing a CRPF deserter who had decamped with an
Indian Small Arms System (ISAS) and live ammunition.Another decorated canine, Gambler, had put its life in danger, chasing and tracking down three militants in Agartala on September 7, 1998.

This canine force is used in counter-insurgency operations all over the North-East. At present, 35
ARDU dogs have been deployed in the region. The ARDU is headed by Major P V S Sidhu, Commanding Officer of the unit, and has 51 dog-handlers, all in the rank of either Riflesman or Havildar.

Date: Nov 15, 2005