Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah laid the foundation stone of the headquarters for the 10th Battalion of the Assam Police in Kamrup and addressed a public gathering that included the state governor, the chief minister, the union home secretary and other dignitaries. The minister characterised the project as part of a broader effort to strengthen security and support development across the state. The ceremony was held on land previously reported to have been occupied by infiltrators. He indicated that the headquarters will occupy an area of 124 bighas and will include residential and operational infrastructure with barracks to accommodate 750 male and 450 female officers. The complex is planned to incorporate a small hospital, a training centre, a firing range, a modern surveillance centre and a large sports complex for the Assam Police. The minister framed the establishment of the battalion as converting a former security challenge into an operational base to address local threats. The minister attributed earlier demographic pressures in parts of Assam to past failures and reported that 174 bighas had been liberated from encroachment and that the state government had freed approximately 145,000 bighas (0.145 million (mn)). He further reported that more than 140,000 people had been given government employment, which he presented as evidence of administrative action on land and livelihoods. He said the government will pursue measures to identify and remove infiltrators from electoral rolls and from the country if required. He described a range of development measures in the state, saying hundreds of thousands of women have been linked to self-help groups and that land rights have been granted to 250,000 landless indigenous people (0.25 mn). He reported the arrival of new educational courses and cited a semiconductor investment described as being worth Rs 270 billion (bn). He framed the initiatives as part of a plan to build a state free from insurgency, poverty and unemployment.