The Jammu and Kashmir police has indicted hundreds of CRPF men and people from
other law enforcing agencies including their own men in stone pelting and other related
offences and dozens of FIRs have been registered against the uniformed men in various police
stations across valley since 2009. This was revealed by J&K police in reply to a RTI
application filed by a civil society member.
However, what is most heartening is the fact that people in Jammu and Kashmir are
increasingly arming themselves with the provisions of the legislation to ex[pose not only
corruption in administration but also a deterrent to human rights violations by the law
enforcing agencies.
J&K Police has registered as many 13 cases of stone pelting against Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF) personnel since 2009. In North Kashmir’s Sopore town alone seven cases have
been registered against CRPF for unprovoked firing.
The information has been revealed by police headquarters in response to two RTI applications
filed by Khurram Parvez of J&K Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS).
The RTI reply also reveals that in majority of the cases no action has been taken against the
guilty CRPF men as the police claims that the cases are still under investigation.
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”.
Six cases of stone pelting are registered against CRPF at Police Station Safa Kadal since
2009. The FIRs registered are: 62/2009, 80/2010,83/2010.103/2010,114/2010, 127/2010.
In 2009, Police Station Soura registered an FIR 55/2009 under Section 294 against a CRPF
constable for alleged eve teasing. Subsequently, the accused CRPF man was challaned.
In 2010 also, Police Station Nishat registered a case FIR 18/2010 against 28 Battalion CRPF
for eve teasing under Sections 279,427 RPC and subsequently a challan was produced against the
accused in the court, the RTI reply reads.
Giving details of the cases registered against CRPF, Police, and Army in other districts of
Kashmir since 2009, police headquarters has furnished a list of 94 FIRs vide letter No.
CR/2012/359-X/12834-38 dated 18/05/2012.
The RTI reply, a copy of which also lies with Rising Kashmir, reveals that in 2010 as many as
seven cases were registered against CRPF under Sections 302 and 307 for killing innocent
youth.
However, no challan has been produced against the guilty CRPF personnel or the unit involved
and the status of these cases stands as ‘under investigation’.
The cases registered are FIR 304/2010 US 307, 306/2010 under Section 307, 356/2010 under
Section 307,413/2010 under Section 302,476/2010 under Section 302 and 493/2010 under Section
307, all registered at Police Station Sopore against unknown CRPF men.
The reply reveals that in 2009 police also registered a case FIR 107/2009 against 129 CRPF
Battalion under Sections 147,148,149,332 for assaulting police personnel. However, the accused
are said to be untraced.
A case FIR 22/2009 was also registered against 181 Battalion CRPF at Police Station Rajpora
Pulwama under Section 452,302 RPC for unprovoked firing.
The reply reveals that in 2009 an FIR 27/2009 was registered against 180 Battalion CRPF at
Police Station Tral for molestation under Section 354 RPC.
Incidentally, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) had depicted J&K police as a
villain in a 23-page study titled “Role and functioning of the CRPF” stating that the state
police uses the paramilitary personnel as a shield and pass on the blame to them while
committing human rights violations themselves.
IDSA, 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.
The CRPF is the mainstay of law and order in the Valley.
The CRPF, whose 326 companies (each company has more than 35 personnel) are deployed in the
valley (figures of March 2011), was blamed for a majority of civilian deaths but the study
suggests the force might just be a convenient target.
