CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News /Agencies/ Bhopal: CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News / Agencies, Bhopal: Senior Assam Police IPS officer and Guwahati Police Commissioner Dr Parth Sarathi Mahanta has been selected for the Union Home Ministry’s prestigious ‘Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak 2026’. He is being given the honour for his role in anti-terror operations and action against organised crime and drug trafficking. A total of 19 officers and personnel of Assam Police have been selected for the medal this year.
Dr Mahanta is the Guwahati Police Commissioner and also the Inspector General of the Assam Police Special Task Force (STF). After the STF was reorganised in March 2023, he led several important operations. Under his leadership, between March 2023 and December 2024, the STF arrested 21 people allegedly linked to various extremist organisations.
Dr Mahanta played an important role in the arrest of the ISIS India chief. Under his leadership, alleged ISIS India chief Haris Ajmal Farooqi and his associate Anurag Singh were arrested from Assam’s Dhubri district in March 2024. Both had entered India from Bangladesh. After the operation, they were handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). In addition, the STF investigated the network of the Ansarullah Bangla Team in Assam and suspected sleeper cell activities.
In major operations against drug trafficking during this period, the STF conducted 254 operations, registered 41 cases and arrested 482 people in different cases. During the action, more than 59 kg of heroin, 9.67 lakh narcotic tablets, 37,000 bottles of Phensedyl syrup, nearly four tonnes of ganja and other banned substances were seized.
Along with policing, Dr Mahanta is also known for his interest in filmmaking and writing. His documentary ‘Hargila – The Greater Adjutant Stork’ received a special mention at the 70th National Film Awards. He has also made the animated film ‘Lachit: The Warrior’, based on the life of Ahom commander Lachit Borphukan. In January 2026, Assam University conferred an honorary D.Litt. on him. Earlier, in 2025, he had also received the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service.
The Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak was instituted in 2024. The honour is given for outstanding contributions in special operations, investigation, intelligence work and forensic science. In 2026, a total of 490 police officers and personnel from across the country have been selected for the medal.
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