Harmeet's Playbook: Assam Police's Fine Balance of Strategic Patience and Tactical Urgency

Five years after Assam last witnessed intense unrest that severely tested its law and order framework, the state found itself on edge once again—this time with electoral stakes higher than ever, just six months before crucial polls. But this wasn't 2019. Under DGP Harmeet Singh's leadership, Assam Police demonstrated a masterclass in strategic policing that transformed chaos into calculated control.

Karbi Anglong had been a simmering cauldron of grievances—social tensions, governance gaps, and mounting frustrations. But it was a single piece of misinformation that lit the fuse: false rumors about the arrest of a prominent protest leader and for next few hours- Rapid escalation caught security forces off-guard 173 police personnel injured, including senior IPS officers.

Multiple flashpoints erupted simultaneously across the district The situation threatened to spiral completely out of control For a brief, critical moment, Assam Police found themselves on the back foot—facing their most severe tactical challenge in years.

Strategic Patience: De-escalation Under Fire

Instead of the knee-jerk reactions that had characterized past responses, DGP Harmeet Singh deployed what sources describe as "strategic patience." The ground reality changed when Harmeet personally took command:

1-Direct intervention on the ground, not from behind a desk

2-Series of calculated negotiations with protest leaders

3-Deliberate de-escalation tactics to lower the conflict temperature

4-Soft-touch approach that prioritized dialogue over confrontation

Tactical Urgency: Swift, Surgical Response

But patience didn't mean passivity. Simultaneously, Assam Police demonstrated "tactical urgency" through:

1-Rapid strategic mobilization of specialized units

2-Surgical deployment to contain spreading violence

3-Decisive control measures at critical flashpoints

4-Professional domination without excessive force.

Harmeet's Operational Experience

Top sources reacting to this decisive and swift response said that Harmeet showed fine balance between mind and muscle perhaps this skill of fine reading came from his long tenure in Intelligence Bureau especially in J&K. As one top source noted: "Harmeet showed that you can be firm without being brutal, decisive without being reckless. That's the difference between policing and strategic policing." In short Harmeet taught one lesson in strategic policing- true strength is not always about overt displays of power but rather about self-control, discretion, and wisdom.