KL Desk
Srinagar
30 companies of the paramilitary force, which were sent to poll-bound Gujarat on November 10, may return to Jammu and Kashmir after performing election duties.
One company of the CRPF consists of 125 personnel and officers.
“Thirty companies of the CRPF, 26 from Kashmir and four from the Jammu region, were sent to Gujarat on November 10 for performing election duties. These splinter companies are likely to return to the state after the elections,” said CRPF’s IG (Operations) SS Sandhu.
“The 30 CRPF companies have been exclusively sent to Gujarat for election duties and most likely they will come back to the state,” added Sandhu.
Acting upon the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the CRPF has pulled out five battalions from the state – three last year and two this year.
A process to reduce the footprints of the paramilitary force in the state was initiated following Defence Minister AK Antony’s statement on July 28, stressing reduction in the visibility of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
“So far five battalions of the CRPF have been pulled out of the state and deployed in Naxal-hit states of the country. We are awaiting the response of the state police to withdraw the sixth battalion,” Sandhu said.
The state police has so far not responded to the withdrawal of 18th Battalion, which has been deployed in Kulgam, he added.
The Centre has decided to deploy nearly 10,000 personnel for anti-Naxal operations in Maoist-affected states of the country.
Sandhu said as of today the CRPF had 51 battalions in Kashmir and 14 in the Jammu region.
