Majid Jahangir
SRINAGAR, Aug 30: The state government has turned down the request of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) which wanted to pull out nearly 2,000 men from the Valley for redeployment in Naxal-hit areas.
Sources said the request for withdrawing two CRPF battalions from the Valley was turned down by the state government after consultation with the Union Home Ministry.
“We had received a request from the CRPF that they wanted to remove two battalions from the Valley for Naxal-affected areas in Chhattisgarh. But after considering all aspects of security, we rejected their request,” said a top government official.
“The viewpoint put forth by the government was that if 2,000 CRPF men are withdrawn, the overall security will be compromised.”
The CRPF is assisting the J&K Police in law and order and counter-insurgency operations since 2005 when they started replacing the BSF for internal security duty across Kashmir. At present, 52 battalions of the CRPF are deployed across the Valley, and 26 of these are posted in Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal districts.
After 2005 the primary task of the CRPF was to hold counter-insurgency operations in the state. But after the 2008 Amarnath land row, the force is largely involved in controlling riots in the Valley. During the stone-throwing incidents in 2008 and 2009, around 1,600 CRPF men were injured in clashes.
Sources said the CRPF had pleaded that “with the improvement in situation such a large number of its personnel are not required in the Valley.”
State Principal Secretary (Home) B R Sharma admitted that a written request for the withdrawal of two battalions by the CRPF was received by the government. “We have given our viewpoint on the issue,” said Sharma.
(The author is correspondent, The Tribune )
