The Union Home Ministry has ordered deployment of 50 additional companies (5,000 personnel) of the Central paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir to augment law and order security grid in the Union Territory from May 7. The move comes after a request to the effect was made J&K DGP through a letter on April 27 and it was approved by the Centre the next day.

The mobilisation is being made “for augmentation of existing deployment grid to effectively manage law and order and security duties.”

On the decision for deployment of the 50 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) or Central paramilitary companies, the order said, “The matter has been considered in this Ministry, it has been decided to provide 50 companies of CAPF (CRPF-20, BSF-10, SSB-10, ITBP-05 and CISF-05 companies) to Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir by May 7.

“The UT Administration of Jammu & Kashmir is requested to work out the detailed deployment plan in consultation with the respective CAPFs and the deployment of the CAPFs companies may be made only after completing the mandatory quarantine period to break the chain of coronavirus, reads the order issued on April 28.

Keeping in view the Covid-19 situation, the Home Ministry advised the Jammu and Kashmir administration to take  necessary transportation/logistics/accomodation and other arrangements required in connection with deployment of the CAPFs within the UT, as per the Government guidelines on the subject. The deployment of the additional paramilitary personnel will be organised by UT Administration, added the copy of the order.

Presently, 60 battalions of the CRPF and 10 battalions of other CAPFs are deployed on the ground in the Union Territory for law and order as also for the security duty roles, sources said. The additional troops are likely to be also used for the conduct of the Amarnath Yatra, they added.