New Delhi, March 25
The CRPF will procure a new fleet of mine-protected vehicles (MPVs) and small 30-seater buses to ensure safety of its troop convoys in the Kashmir valley, the chief of the force has said.
The paramilitary force has also decided to enhance the number of its bomb detection and disposal squads (BDDS) for its about 65 battalions based in the Kashmir valley for anti-terror and law and order duties.
These new measures have been chalked out in the aftermath of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 personnel travelling in a bus, part of a convoy from Jammu to Srinagar, were killed by a suicide bomber as he exploded a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED).
“We are enhancing our counter-IED capabilities in Kashmir. We are procuring and sending more MPVs and are bullet-proofing force buses. As it is difficult to armour large buses, we are looking at procuring small 30-seater buses that can be better armour-plated,” CRPF Director General RR Bhatnagar said.
The force uses MPVs for limited troop movements in the anti-Naxal operations theatre and some of them are being used in Jammu and Kashmir too. About six personnel can travel in these four-wheeled vehicles.
Bhatnagar said small buses can be better fabricated and provided bullet-resistant armour as compared to the standard large buses that seat 54-57 people. A similar large bus was blown up during the Pulwama attack. — PTI
Bomb disposal steps
- Bomb detection and disposal squads will be provided for each battalion deployed in Kashmir valley
- Units having them will see an increase in the number of personnel and equipment to detect and counter explosives and IEDs
- Seats increased in Pune-based IED education school of the force
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2WjaFHu
via Today’s News Headlines
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