GURGAON: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has carried out extensive checks of its over 3.2 lakh personnel to examine if there were any possible “subversive” attempts on the force, following the episode of Jammu and Kashmir DSP Davinder Singh whose arrest shocked the country’s security establishment. The CRPF — India’s lead counter-insurgency force — carried out massive internaluditon three security principles — anti-sabotage, access control and anti-subversion.
CRPF Director General (DG) AP Maheshwari said the incident involving Deputy Superintendent of Police Singh was “grave” and an “area of extreme concern” for the security forces that made CRPF “revisit” its mechanisms of checks to ensure that episodes of this sort don’t occur again.
Carrying out an audit of the manpower was “common sense”, said the chief of CRPF, the country’s largest paramilitary force. “No security grid should be allowed to be weakened by such episodes. So, all forces have to keep an internal watch,” he said on the arrest of DSP Singh. “We have no doubts about our personnel but it is our duty to keep checking. We are further strengthening our systems which were already in place,” Maheshwari said, referring to the vigilance and intelligence checks conducted on their personnel in Kashmir and other places.
Commenting on Singh’s arrest, Maheshwari said somebody from a security force trying to collaborate with adversaries was a “serious matter”. However, he emphasized that an “isolated” incident cannot be used to “brand” the entire J&K police force which has done onerous work in the past and has “tremendous role in normalising the situation” in J&K. The CRPF has deployed close to 70,000 personnel in Kashmir Valley for counter-terrorist and law and order duties.
The DG also felicitated the 75 CRPF personnel who received gallantry medals on Republic Day. Among them was Assistant Commandant Zile Singh who was awarded Shaurya Chakra for displaying exemplary bravery to thwart the December 30 fidayeen attack on a CRPF camp in Lethpora.