New Delhi:
Addressing a conference of senior police officials from around the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today voiced serious concern over the ongoing spate of violent protests in Kashmir.
(Read full text here)"Despite the curtailment of militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the public order dimension in the state has become a cause of serious concern," he said addressing the three-day Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police.
"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 stressed.
With Kashmir caught in a vicious cycle of violence with stone pelting crowds taking centrestage, Singh spoke of the need for better and non-lethal methods of crowd control.
Singh asked Home Minister P Chidambaram to establish a high-powered task force to come out with a set of recommendations on non-lethal crowd control measures in the next two to three months.
He said that instead of single standard sequence for the use of force, other countries have put in place procedures that vary according to the situation.
The Prime Minister cited the experience of Rapid Action Force for non-lethal crowd control which has been successful saying it should be examined for being followed by other police forces also.
At the conference that is debating diverse national security-related issues, the PM said policing in the country is getting increasingly complex amidst religious disputes and social and ethnic tension.
"Of late, growing presence of non-state actors, fundamentalist groups and Leftwing extremists has further complicated matters," said the PM.
"Need to revisit standard operating procedures and crowd control measures to deal with public agitations with non-lethal, yet effective and focused measures," he added.
Stressing on the need for setting quantifiable goals from this year, the PM asked a standing committee of DGPs to suggest and implement best practices. He also urged the Home Ministry to set a high powered panel to look into new methods of crowd control.
On internal security threats like Naxalism, the Prime Minister said a lot more needs to be done to meet the challenge. "We recognize that the Naxalites are our own people and ready to talk to them provided they abjure the path of violence," he said.
Deliberations at the 3-day conference include formulation and sharing of professional practices and processes in tackling challenges relating to crime control and law and order management besides internal security threats such as terrorism, insurgency, left wing extremism and espionage.
(With PTI inputs)