The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has prepared a team of women commandoes to tackle stone pelters. According to reports, the deployment of women commandoes is being considered due to the increasing participation of women in the stone-pelting incidents.
These commandoes are reportedly part of CRPF’s ‘super 500’. They have been trained extensively. Being blindfolded and repairing weapons and equipment within a minute are part of their training.
Incidents of stone pelting and attack on security forces have been on the rise in the valley. Recently a young tourist from Tamil Nadu had lost his life when a mob of stone pelting jihadis attacked a bus. It is often the CRPF personnel who become the target of jihadi stone pelters.
On June 1st, in Srinagar, a convoy of CRPF vehicles came under severe attack by a large mob. Videos of the mob of Islamist jihadis were widely circulated but many media outlets and pro-separatist individuals had created a ruckus over a jihadi coming under CRPF vehicle amidst the ensued chaos. Stone pelting jihadis often attack security forces during ongoing anti-terror operations and are known to aid terrorists in escaping.
The central government had announced the suspension of anti-terror operations in the valley in the month of Ramzan. But that did not seem to have an effect on the Islamists as many more incidents of stone pelting were repeated across Kashmir.
Former Jammu and Kashmir CM and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti had advocated for withdrawal of cases against jihadi stone pelters but the central government had advised against it, stating that it will be demoralising for the security forces as hundreds of personnel are injured every year due to stone pelting attacks. The centre had also stated that going easy with the stone pelters will further encourage the terrorists of the valley to use civilians as human shield.
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According to reports, the team of women commandoes will be especially needed in situations where women stone pelters are involved. It is notable here that the CRPF is one of the first organisations to prepare women commandoes for combat operations. The women commandoes have been well trained in Jungle warfare and were also deployed in the Maoist infested areas of central India.