NEW DELHI, Oct 28: The Central Reserve Police Force today said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved but maintained that decisions on the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and troops reduction will be taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs. "CRPF does not have a stand on this. We go by the stand of the Home Ministry. As long as the protection (for the force) is available, there is no issue. As far as the CRPF is considered, there is a policy of Home Ministry which we will abide," Director General of the CRPF, K Vijay Kumar, told reporters here.
"We normally work as an extension to local police, complementing the local police and in support of the local police. But it is not necessary that in every circumstances there will be local police with us, so that explains why even otherwise CRPF requires this kind of protection," he said. Kumar expressed satisfaction over the improved situation in the State saying that Jammu and Kashmir had "one of the best years" in recent times.
"Overall, if you see the statistics of J-K. It has been one of the best years despite certain incidents which happened. In terms of tourism or in terms of other activities, which are the indices of normalcy, if you look at it, it has been one of the best years in Srinagar. When you see the overall situation, you will see generally it is improving," the DG said. About 69 battalions (nearly 69,000 men) and three companies (three hundred personnel) of women are deployed in Jammu and Kashmir.
Close to 60 per cent of the CRPF personnel in J-K are deployed in counter insurgency and related duties and the remaining provide security to VVIP/Vital installations and perform law and order duties among others. Major shrines like Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu and Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar are being guarded by CRPF besides the force also maintains security at the highly sensitive airports at Srinagar and Jammu.
When asked about the reduction of CRPF in the State, the DG said, "Such a thing has not been conveyed by the Home Ministry. It is a matter of constant discussion with the Home Ministry and the State Government there. As and when such decisions are conveyed, we implement it". Kumar said that there has been withdrawal of troops in recent years. "As compared to previous years, Yes. We had a peak of 74-75 battalions (about 75,000 personnel) and that has certainly reduced," the DG said. (PTI)
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