CRPF: Will use pellets only in extreme cases

New Delhi, July 25

The CRPF, accused of disproportionate use of force in Jammu and Kashmir, today expressed regret for injuries caused to youths due to firing of pellet guns in the Valley and said it would continue to use this least lethal weapon, but only in extreme situations.

Addressing a press conference, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General K Durga Prasad said there was no non-lethal weapon and pellet guns, often used for crowd control in Kashmir, were the least lethal option available with the force.

"We feel very sorry for them as youngsters have to bear injuries due to firing of pellet guns. We are trying to use them to the bare minimum so that there are less injuries. We use them under the extreme situation when crowd control fails by other means," he said in reply to questions on the use of pellet guns in Kashmir.

A large number of youths had been injured in the last fortnight as CRPF personnel used pellet guns to control violent protesters in the wake of the killing of Burhan Wani, a top Hizbul Mujahideen militant.

The paramilitary force had received widespread criticism for the use of this non-lethal weapon, prompting Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to announce in Parliament that a committee would be set up to review the use of pellet guns and find an alternative.

"Everybody feels bad when youngsters get hit. But still, we will have to use them in extreme situations as of now. We hope that any (extreme) situation does not arise (in the future)," he said ahead of the CRPF's 77th raising day on Wednesday.

Prasad said the CRPF had already been experimenting with other options in the less lethal weapon category available globally.

Explaining the stress under which CRPF personnel were deployed in Kashmir, he said 114 companies (about 11,400 personnel), undergoing training elsewhere, had to be pulled out and deployed in the state to control the situation arising after Wani's death.

"Our annual training has suffered as we are in continuous deployment. As of today, all our training companies are deployed in some theatre or the other," he said. -- PTI