Home ministry rushes 10,000 troops to Kashmir

NEW DELHI:The government of India has ordered rushing of about 10,000 central forces personnel to the Kashmir valley in order to strengthen counter-insurgency operations and law and order duties there, officials said on Saturday.nnThey said the Union home ministry has ordered the deployment of 100 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) on July 25 on an “immediate” basis.nnOfficials said that 100 more companies are expected to be sent to the valley.nnOne CAPF company comprises about 100 personnel.nnThe latest units will be drawn from the CRPF (50 companies), SSB (30) and ITBP and BSF will contribute 10 each, they said.nnThe ministry has said that these personnel will be deployed to strengthen the counter-insurgency grid and law and order duties in the Kashmir Valley, they said.nnThey are being air lifted and sent by trains, officials said.nnIt is understood that the new units will reinforce the strength of the security forces already present in the valley who are conducting the annual Amarnath Yatra and carrying out counter-terrorism operations daily, they added.nnThe troops will be addition to about 65 regular battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force in the valley and over 20 other battalions of other forces deployed to conduct the yatra that will end on August 15.nnOne CAPF battalion has about 1,000 personnel.nnThe new strength of the troops will also help in the conduct of the assembly polls in the state that are expected to be held in some time, they said.nnMehbooba slams Centre for additional troops deployment in KashmirnnJammu and Kashmir is a “political problem” which would not be solved by military means, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Saturday, as she criticised the Centre’s decision to deploy additional 100 companies of central armed police force (CAPF) to the valley.nnMehbooba, the president of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also said the Centre needs to “rethink and overhaul its Kashmir policy.”nn”Centre’s decision to deploy additional 10,000 troops to the valley has created fear psychosis amongst people. There is no dearth of security forces in Kashmir. J&K is a political problem which won’t be solved by military means. GOI needs to rethink & overhaul its policy,” Mehbooba wrote on Twitter.nnSource: Press Trust of India