SRI NAGAR: The CRPF has neither used pellet guns nor fired a single bullet in militancy-hit Kashmir since October after an advisory was issued instructing the security forces to use minimum force while dealing with the law and order situations in the Valley.
“Not a single pellet or bullet has been fired by the CRPF men in the strife-torn Valley in last three months. There has been no pellet injury in last three months,” CRPF Srinagar spokesperson Pankaj Singh said.
Some attempts were made to disturb the law and order situation in Kashmir in the last three months, but they were tackled without using any pellet guns.
Sources said security personnel used pellet guns in August and September to foil protests following the scrapping of J&K’s special status, but since October they have avoided using them. The CRPF spokesperson said that there has been considerable improvement in the ground situation in the Valley and it has returned to near normalcy.
He said there were killings and grenade attacks but the security men exercised restraint while dealing with the situation.
“The security men deployed on the ground are sensitive to the situation and they have been asked not to use pellet guns. The jawans have been told to use force only when there is a serious threat to life and property... Normalcy has returned and we are working to ensure normalcy here,” he said.
After over three months of continuous shutdown following the scrapping of provistions of Article 370 on August 5, normalcy is fast returning to Kashmir with shops now remaining open for the most part of the day and transport back on the roads.