NEW DELHI: As part of use of technological interventions for containing militants action in Jammu and Kashmir that has witnessed renewed violence ahead of the onset of summer season, the CRPF deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for counter-terror action in the Valley.
The CRPF will hunt down militants by utilising real-time data generated from the drones on the militants holed up in residential areas.
“After the recent violence by protestors in the Valley, the CRPF has now deployed UAVs on a trial basis to pinpoint the location of militant before launching the anti-militants operations in Jammu and Kashmir,” a senior Union Home Ministry official said.
The Valley has witnessed a complete lockdown after three terror sympathisers were neutralised following injuries to over 60 security Force’s personnel who were hit by the protesters with stones to disrupt an ongoing anti-militants operation in the central Kashmir’s Budgam on Tuesday.
Security forces had fired bullets and pellets at a mob and the operation had ended with the killing of an armed militant who was holed up in a house and the local residents sought to aid the holed up militant in fleeing after the launch of the operation by the Forces.
Bracing up for the long hot summer in the Valley, security agencies recently decided to make maximum use of UAVs in several sensitive areas in south Kashmir.
“The use of remote controlled UAVs is closely monitored by control rooms manned by the Army as well as local police/ CRPF. Both share information with each other on hourly basis,” another CRPF official said.
The UAVs have been procured out of the internal resources of the CRPF and a policy decision at the Force’s headquarter’s level has not been taken. The UAVs have been put to use on a trial basis and the positive feedback will lead eventually to take a policy decision for usage of the drones in a major way to save the lives of the security forces.
“The feedback from the usage of these UAVs is positive as real time data is not only helpful in counter-militant action but also managing law and order situation where the forces are often targeted by the stone-pelters.
The UAVs will also be used during the bypolls in Srinagar and Anantnag constituencies. The realtime data from the UAVs will be linked to the command centre and monitoring will also be done by the operational companies during any action,” a senior CRPF official said.
This besides, some vehicles have been mounted with cameras for security during movements. Two bullet-proof buses have also been deployed on a trial basis for safety of convoys.
According to the new trend, the terror groups have in the last few days threatened the family members of at least two Jammu and Kashmir police officers two subordinate officers. Inputs also suggest the terror groups are planning to use IEDs as a new terror tactic for which the paramilitary has moved 10 mine-protected vehicles from the Naxal areas, the official added.
Around 60,000 CRPF personnel are involved in the Valley in crowd control and also fight insurgency with the Army.