In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,—
(1) “active service” means service at outposts, or against hostile tribes or other persons in the field;
(2) “Commandant” or “Assistant Commandant” means a person appointed by the Central Government to be a Commandant or an Assistant Commandant of the Assam Rifles;
² (3) “District Magistrate” includes a Deputy Commissioner;
(4) “rifleman” means a person appointed as such under section 4 after he has signed the statement in the Schedule in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 4, and includes a rifleman appointed under the Assam Rifles Act, 1920 (Assam Rifles Act 1 of 1920), and a Military Police Officer appointed under the Eastern Bengal and Assam Military Police Act, 1912 (E.B. & A. Act 3 of 1934), ³ and a non-combatant appointed as such, whether before or after the commencement of the Assam Rifles (Amendment) Act, 1951 (34 of 1951);
(5) “superior officer” means, in relation to any rifleman,—
(a) an officer of a higher class than, or of a higher grade in the same class as, himself, and
(b) any Assistant Commandant or Commandant;
(6) the expressions “reason to believe”, “criminal force”, “assault”, “fraudulently” and “voluntarily causing hurt” have the meanings assigned to them respectively in the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).