MHA to review security protocol for forces

Concerned over the criticism with a large number of protesters in the Kashmir Valley facing severe eye injuries in police action during the agitation in wake of the encounter of Hizbul Mujhaideen commander Burhan Wani, the home ministry is likely to review the security protocol for paramilitary forces deployed in the region. Sources said the Centre wants to ensure that in future police action “minimum harm” should be caused to the people even if they are protesting against a security operation.

Among the issues that the home ministry is expected to review over the next few days regarding the functioning of security forces is to provide specialised training and sensitisation programme for paramilitary personnel before they are deployed in the Valley and strict guidelines on use of pellet guns, which are said to be responsible for majority of the eye injuries to the protesters.

Sources said while the home ministry may not replace the pellet guns in the Valley immediately, but its use will be strictly regulated to minimise the damage. So far more as many as 39 people have died while more than 3,000 injured in ongoing agitation in the Valley.

“After every major incident, the security forces do revisit their handling of the situation to ensure that if anything has gone wrong it is not repeated again. The same procedure will be followed this time also to take corrective action for future. But we feel that security forces, before they are deployed in the Valley, should be provided specialised training in crowd management and these personnel need to be sensitised also as situation in Kashmir is very different from rest of the country,” a senior home ministry official said.

While the Centre is closely examining the use of pellet guns in the Valley, the security forces have already been instructed to use them only when ‘extremely necessary” and that extra precaution should be taken to fire the pellets below the waist.

Meanwhile, two thousand more CRPF personnel are being rushed to the Valley in addition to the 3,000 personnel that were sent there last week.

The reinforcements will be deployed most in Srinagar and parts of south Kashmir which have witnessed most incidents of stone-pelting.

Some of these additional forces will also be used as road opening parties (ROPs) in order to secure and facilitate the movement of security forces convoys which have been specifically targeted by the agitating protesters.

About 6000 CRPF personnel are already deployed in various parts of the Valley as part of counter insurgency grid.