Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 22: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has brought 77 companies to tackle violence in Kashmir that has led to the killing of 67 people and injury to over 7000 people.
Around 50,000 CRPF personnel were deployed in Kashmir for law and order duty prior to violence that erupted after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Wani on July 8. Some of these personnel were, however, deployed on Amarnath Yatra duty.
In order to tackle the law and order situation which broke out across Kashmir even in remote villages, 77 more companies of the CRPF including those on Yatra duty were brought in.
Sixty companies of CRPF were brought from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Manipur, Mizoram and Assam and the additional companies that were brought for yatra duty have also been retained in Kashmir.
Special Director General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), S N Shrivastava, told Excelsior that the need for more CRPF companies was felt as some areas were left unattended. “Now we have more forces on the ground and we are able to impose night curfew and enforce day curfew strictly”, he said.
The officer said that arrival of more CRPF men made difference on the ground as it brought down levels of violence. “I hope things to improve. Hopefully, the measures have been initiated and things will normalise”, he added.
Shrivastava said that those CRPF personnel who were brought from outside were given basic training and acclimatised before deployed on law and order duty. He said that they have been mixed with the CRPF men already deployed here.
Shrivastava said that CRPF personnel have been asked to exercise maximum restraint and over 2000 CRPF personnel were injured in stone pelting across Kashmir. He said that despite being on law and order duty round the clock for last 45 days the CRPF personnel are doing a commendable job. He said that senior officers of the force are in continuous touch with the personnel on the ground so as to ensure that the Standard Operating Procedures are strictly followed.
The Special DG CRPF said that pellet gun is not a lethal crowd control weapon. “Even a stone thrown from a shorter distance or a teargas shell can be lethal if it hits a vital organ. Pellet gun is non-lethal but if it is used from the short-distance, it may prove to be dangerous. But these are used from a longer distance. And these are basically not meant to hit a particular person. It is not directed against one person but a group”, he said.
Shrivastava said that there have been few cases where pellet is proving to be dangerous. “We have re-emphasised our Standing Operating Procedure (SOP). We have directed our forces to hit at the ankle, aim at the ankle and that too from a sufficient distance”, he said.
The CRPF officer said that at times the mobs are very violent and the use of force becomes inevitable. “At times, crowds are very aggressive to the extent that the intent is murderous. And that time they are out to outnumber the security forces and try to draw close. We are hopeful and I am sure that good sense will prevail”, he added.
Shrivastava when asked about the allegations of excessive use of force by CRPF said that wherever it is found that CRPF personnel have done something wrong action is taken. “For example, there was a case of Sub-Inspector firing at an ambulance. We suspended him and after enquiry we will take action”, he said.
He said that strict disciplinary action is taken to discipline the force. “There is no reason to protect our men unnecessary because unless we enforce discipline the force might go berserk. We don’t want that situation to take place. So any act of indiscipline is and will be severely punished”, he said.
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