EARLY TIMES REPORT
srinagar, Oct 18: The human rights defenders have urged the government to detain CRPF men involved in stone pelting under the Public Safety Act (PSA). The Jammu Kashmir Police in response to a RTI petition said 13 cases of stone pelting had been registered against CRPF men across the valley in different police stations. The information was revealed in July this year. The RTI application sought information related to the cases registered against police, CRPF and Army in different police stations of Kashmir since 2009.In his reply, Public Information Officer, Police Headquarters Srinagar furnished the information related to 40 FIRs, which have been registered at different police stations across Srinagar since 2009 against CRPF, BSF and police personnel.
The information provided by the information officer, vide letter no. CR/2012/359-X/3842 dated 30/05/2012, reveals that as many as six cases have been registered against CRPF for stone pelting. Besides, cases involving breaking of window panes, outraging modesty of women has also been registered against CRPF at Police Station Nowhatta under FIR 64/2009 by police against 44 Battalion CRPF. However, in the 'present status' column, the RTI reply States that the culprits are "untraced".
Pertinently the state government has detained even minors under PSA for stone pelting. "If minors can be detained under the draconian law, the erring CRPF men cannot go scot free for the same offence", the human rights defenders maintain. An autonomous research body funded by the Defence ministry, has painted a gloomy picture of the force's morale. "In several instances, while the firing was done by the local police, the blame was passed on to the CRPF. In some cases, when the CRPF wanted to lodge FIRs, they were not lodged while people's FIRs against the CRPF were quite easily lodged," the study, undertaken after the massive protests in Kashmir in 2010, says. As per the study, CRPF men posted in Kashmir say the state government is exploiting them while the central government is indifferent to their concerns. |
