Spate of killings in J&K calls CRPF’s crowd management into question

The spate of killings in CRPF firing has raised serious questions about the paramilitary’s crowd management capabilities in Jammu and Kashmir.

Experts say loneliness, long work hours and preconceived notions about Kashmiris are contributing to the restlessness of paramilitary troopers.

“They live alone, unlike their officers who live with families, and that is why they are becoming tense by the day. When anybody comes in their way they do not know what to do and fire at them. This is one of the reasons for the reckless firing,” AR Rather, professor of psychology at the department of education in the University of Kashmir, said.

Most of the 11 deaths in Kashmir since June 11 have been in CRPF firing on protesters and stone-pelters.

“Most of them [CRPF troopers] think all people in Kashmir are separatists. They, therefore, believe that people are going to attack them. And before these children [stone-pelting youth] do anything, they fire,” Rather said. “They do not have holidays and getting leaves is difficult. As a result, they become tense and end up making things worse,” he said.

MM Khajuria, former director general of Jammu and Kashmir Police, said, “There is a need to change the mindset from combating terror to dispersing mobs. In terror situations, you have to fire to kill, but in the case of stone-throwers you have to fire to disperse. But it depends on the situation in which a CRPF jawan finds himself in the Valley.”

CRPF, however, says its troopers have always exercised restrain and they fire only in self-defence. “Take for instance in Noorbagh, where a youth was killed. Had we not fired, the mob would have set our vehicle ablaze and roasted troopers alive,” a CRPF officer said.