PM endorses 'non-lethal' ways of crowd control in Kashmir

By Agence India Press

New Delhi/ Srinagar: After Home Minister P Chidambaram, in his inaugural speech at the three-day Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police, hoped to find a "starting point" to end the cycle of violence in Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday, Aug 26 endorsed "non-lethal" methods to control violence in the valley.

Voicing serious concern over the ongoing spate of violent protests in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today highlighted the need to "revisit" standard operating procedures and crowd control measures by security forces to deal with public agitations.

“We need to revisit standard operating procedures and crowd control measures to deal with public agitations with non-lethal, yet effective and focused measures. We also cannot have an approach of one size fits all,” the Prime Minister said while addressing the second-day session of the 45th conference of top cops here.

Stressing on the need to revisit crowd control measures, Singh said, “Despite the curtailment of militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the public order dimension in the state has become a cause of serious concern."

"We need to train our police forces more effectively," the PM said, observing that policing has turned more complex over the years.

Meanwhile, Curfew remained clamped in parts of Srinagar on Thursday besides restrictions in Bijbehara, Anantnag and Budgam towns in view of protests and a strike called by separatists across the Kashmir Valley.

Restrictions have been imposed on the movement of people in areas falling under police station Batamaloo, Abi Guzar area of Kothibagh Police station and police station Soura, where a teenage boy, injured during clashes on August 23, succumbed to injuries on Wednesday, triggering fresh protests resulting in injuries to six persons.

Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, spearheading the ongoing agitation, has called for a complete shutdown and sit-in protests across the Valley.
Shops, educational institutions, banks and private offices remained closed and all modes of transports were off the roads.

The Valley was rocked by violence following the death of a teenager on June 11 after he was hit by a teargas shell near Rajouri Kadal area. After that street protests broke out in the Valley which has claimed 64 lives so far.