CAPFs not a substitute to state police: Centre

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has laid out fresh guidelines informing state governments that paramilitary forces are not a substitute to state police and should be deployed only during emergencies.

The communication was sent amid the ongoing tussle between the West Bengal government and Centre over the deployment of forces in Darjeeling.

The ministry also asked all state governments to set up a committee for examining requirements of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) by keeping in view the internal security, intelligence inputs and availability of central forces in nearby locations.

The MHA communication comes after the West Bengal government moved Calcutta High Court and got a stay against the Centre’s move to withdraw 700 CAPF personnel from Darjeeling, where an agitation demanding a separate state is on.

It said the central government has formulated standard operating procedures (SOPs) for deployment of CAPFs and according to it, the central forces would be able to meet more pressing commitments like guarding borders, fighting insurgency, anti-national operations and in related situations which need immediate mobilisation of forces.

West Bengal Chief Minister even spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and is said to have protested the central government’s move to withdraw the CAPFs from Darjeeling.

“State governments are …read more