Govt: Central forces can’t be substitute for state police

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 18

Amid controversy over the Centre’s decision to withdraw central forces from the troubled Darjeeling hills in West Bengal, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today issued a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for their deployment in future.

The MHA impressed upon the state governments that paramilitary forces cannot be a substitute for the local police and should be put into force only in emergency.

In a written communication to all states, a copy of which is with The Tribune, the MHA has also asked them to set up a committee for examining requirements of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) while keeping in view the internal security, intelligence inputs and availability of central forces in nearby locations.

It also said the Centre has formulated SOPs for deployment of CAPFs and according to which the central forces would be able to meet more pressing commitments like guarding borders, fighting insurgency, anti-national operations and in related situations, which need immediate mobilisation of forces.

“CAPFs can’t substitute the state police force as their deployment is related to emergency crisis in states for maintaining law and order,” the communication noted.

Incidentally, the MHA missive has come after the West Bengal government moved the Calcutta High Court and got a stay against the Centre’s move to withdraw 700 CAPF personnel from Darjeeling, where an agitation demanding a separate state is on. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee even spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and is said to have protested the move to withdraw the CAPFs from Darjeeling.

The MHA, in the communication, has said the state governments often make requests to the Centre for deployment of CAPFs even for occasions where state should normally be in a position to take all security measures from their own resources by dispatching police and state armed police.