Centre Orders Immediate Withdrawal Of 10,000 Paramilitary Personnel From Jammu & Kashmir

The development comes as the biggest de-induction of these forces after additional troops were rushed to the UT post the abrogation of the Article 370 of the Constitution that gave the erstwhile state a unique status.

(Representative Image/ AFP)

New Delhi: The Central government on Wednesday decided to withdraw as many as 100 companies of security forces from the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. According to reports, the decision to withdraw troops was taken after a review meeting conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The development comes as the biggest de-induction of these forces after additional troops were rushed to the UT post the abrogation of the Article 370 of the Constitution that gave the erstwhile state a unique status. Officials close to the development said that MHA ordered 'immediate' withdrawal of about 10,000 paramilitary personnel from Jammu & Kashmir after reviewing the deployment of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in the union territory (UT). The Home Ministry had last withdrawn 10 CAPF companies from the UT in May, while 72 such units were taken out in December last year. The withdrawal of security forces comes after at least 400 additional companies of security forces were deployed across J&K in the wake of last year's August 5 announcement of abrogation of Article 370 was made by the Government of India. A senior official told news agency PTI that a total of 100 CAPF companies have been ordered to be withdrawn "immediately" on Wednesday and they have been asked to revert to their base locations in the country. As per the directions, a total of 40 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 20 each of the Central Industrial Security Force, the Border Security Force and the Sashastra Seema Bal, will be taken out from Jammu and Kashmir by this week. CRPF has been asked to make arrangements for air lifting of these units to Delhi and other locations. A CAPF company has an operational strength of about 100 personnel. "The units that are being withdrawn are deployed both in Jammu and Srinagar. It was felt that the counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist grid is intact in the UT and these additional units that were sent in last year can be de-inducted giving them the much required rest, recuperation and training," a senior CAPF officer said. The MHA, in its order, sent to Advisor to the Administration of J&K UT, commissioner secretary, Administration J&K UT and Director General of Police J&K Dilbagh Singh, stated that it is to intimate that the deployed of Central Armed Forces in J&K has been further reviewed by the ministry. “It has been decided to withdraw 100 Companies of CAPFs with immediate effect from J&K  and revert them back to their respective locations,” reads the MHA order. Also, he said, with the winters soon setting in, it would have been an onerous task to keep these units in make-shift and temporary dwelling units especially in the Kashmir valley region. With the latest de-induction, the lead counter-terrorist force CRPF will have a strength of about 60 battalions (about 1,000 personnel in each battalion) in the Kashmir valley apart from very few units of the other CAPFs. Each Security Forces’ Company comprises 100 to 110 men which means over 10,000 forces personnel are on way out from J&K UT. The breakup of 100 companies that are being pulled out of J&K include 40 companies from CRPF, 20 from BSF, 20 SSB and 20 from ITBB. (Witn inputs from Asif Qureshi)