The Army has written to the Ministry of Defence, saying that the police and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel must stop using combat fatigues. The move came after some CAPF and police personnel with the Delhi police were seen wearing Army pattern combat fatigues during security duties at the protest against the citizenship law on Sunday. The Army said it could be misinterpreted as the Army being deployed for internal security duties.
“Wearing of combat dress by CAPFs and State police forces may be misinterpreted as the Army being deployed for internal security duties and elections… Indian Army has again written to the Department of Military Affairs on February 24 requesting MoD and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to issue following guidelines for immediate implementation,” an Army source said.
The guidelines requested include that combat dress should not be worn by the CAPFs across India while being employed to handle law and order situations as also while being deployed in urban areas affected by terrorism, as the surroundings do not demand such a requirement.
“Use of distinctly different disruptive dress, both in colour and pattern, by CAPFs and State police forces should be restricted only to employment in jungle terrain in Left Wing Extremist (LWE) affected areas,” the source said adding the Bullet Proof Jackets (BPJ) cover most parts of the torso hence, the BPJs should be of plain khaki colour and not of combat colour.
The source said the sale of the Army pattern clothes in the open market needs to be regulated and private vendors in open market should establish the identity and maintain a record of personnel to whom such clothes, including accessories and accoutrements, are being sold, as proposed by the MHA on March 31, 2016.
The Army has from time to time raised the issue with the MoD on the increasing trend of the CAPFs and the State police forces wearing combat uniforms similar to the Army pattern.