Srinagar, July 28: Changing course of action in the Kashmir valley, the Union Home Ministry, in a late night order directed the deployment of 100 additional companies of paramilitary forces in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This comes as a major development as the deployment of the forces indicates to deal with anti-national elements. While the Union home ministry has ordered the deployment of 100 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) on July 25 on an "immediate" basis, more 400 will be deployed in later phases. One CAPF battalion has about 1,000 personnel.
The decision comes after National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval returned from a two-day visit to the Kashmir Valley. During his visit, the NSA chief reviewed the law and order situation in the state which is still under the President's rule. He was directed about the ground reality of the situation in Kashmir.
While the Central Reserve Police Force officials suggest that the deployment of the forces is a routine process, the Kashmiri politicians and activists have started hinting that the Centre is going to repeal Article 35A allowing the Jammu and Kashmir state legislature to define “permanent residents”, conferring them with special rights over property.
Former J&K CM, Mehbooba Mufti in her ‘expertise comment’ tweeted saying “Centre’s decision to deploy additional 10,000 troops to the valley has created fear psychosis amongst people. There is no dearth of security forces in Kashmir. J&K is a political problem which won’t be solved by military means. GOI needs to rethink & overhaul its policy.”
According to media reports, the Home Ministry officials said that the additional forces are being deployed to strengthen "counter-insurgent grid" as well as maintaining law and order. The troops are being airlifted from various parts of the country for deployment. A company has around 100 troops each. However the Inspector General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Ravideep Sahai said, “The induction of the 100 new companies in Jammu and Kashmir is a routine process. There is nothing special about it.” Sahai said that induction and de-induction is continues process and is done when the need is felt to strengthen the law and order against terrorism.
The order read that 50 of the 100 additional companies will be deployed from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), of which nine will be moved to the Valley from New Delhi. The rest of the 50 companies will be deployed from the Border Security Force (BSF), the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
The state of Jammu and Kashmir already has a presence of 40,000 paramilitary personnel and the implementation of the newly issued directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs shall lead to deployment of another 10,000 personnel.
Asserting the role of Bharatiya Janata party’s ‘Chanakya’ and now as India’s ‘Home Minister’, Amit Shah has come a long way. Hitting the grounds running as expected, Home Minister Amit Shah with a catalogue of review meetings last month had slated in big decisions for the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Also, one of the major focus for the BJP was the scrapping of Articles 35A and 370 in the state. While the much-debated Article 35A gives “special status” to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir and also defines the “permanent residents” of the state, Article 370 limits the Parliament's power to make laws concerning the state.