NEW DELHI: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General K Durga Prasad on Monday said that all laid down procedures were absolutely adhered to by its personnel when a group of militants attacked a bus carrying 40 of them on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in the Pampore area on Saturday in which eight personnel were killed and 22 injured.
He rejected all the suggestions and comments Standing Operating Procedure might have led to high casualties in ambush by suspected LeT terrorists.
“Standard Operating Procedures were absolutely followed. Before laying down their lives, our jawans valiantly fought back the two terrorists and fired as many as 91 rounds. I really have no comments to make on that but whatever SOPs are in position right now they have been followed and that's the reason why I said that we will require and can have a look at them again,” Prasad said.
Seeing the modus operandi of the militants, Prasad, however, said that they will review security drill and convoys will be provided bullet-proof protection while moving in the state.
He further pointed out that his force will look at tweaking its security drills this time too, as always, and as a special measure, three-feet high and three mm thick bullet proof plates will be used on vehicles to provide them armoured protection, as was being done by the army.
Prasad noted that his force needs to do a little bit more of vehicle checking by deploying security check posts with Jammu and Kashmir police so that they can “detect possible terrorists travelling undercover”.
“We will have to conduct vehicle checks at more places and more frequently. The militants who came to attack were wearing normal black trousers and T-shirts and were not wearing usual kaftaans that they could be identified,” he added.
He stressed that now they have decided that henceforth convoys will move in blocks of at least three vehicles so they are better protected.