The number of stone-throwing incidents in the Kashmir Valley have come down to half this year because of the “effective” action taken by security forces and investigation agencies against separatists and others, Central Reserve Police Force ( CRPF) chief R.R. Bhatnagar said on Wednesday.
He said 1,590 incidents were registered last year. This year, the latest figures are 424, which is “half of what was last year”.
Situation improved
“It is a mix of what the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is doing, it is a mix of State police and security forces doing the kind of control and hence the efforts of the law breakers, stone throwers and violent mobs is effectively blocked and hence stone throwing has gone down,” he told presspersons on the eve of the 78th Raising Day of the CRPF. “Our assessment is that the situation in the Kashmir Valley has improved adding the CRPF was coordinating with the NIA in its crackdown against separatists and their operatives.”
Mr. Bhatnagar said with the use of less lethal ammunition, the force, which had deployed 60 battalions (at least 60,000 personnel) in Jammu and Kashmir, had “effectively been able to control” mobs.
According to figures provided by the force, it killed 75 militants, apprehended 252 and recovered 118 arms this year in its operations in the Valley.
AK-47s in Maoist areas
The CRPF will replace the traditional INSAS weapons used by its personnel in Maoist-affected areas with AK series rifles.
Mr. Bhatnagar said the CRPF is moving a fresh contingent of 2,000 personnel in Chhattisgarh’s south Bastar area, which it said was its “biggest challenge”.