'Many changes made after Pulwama attack': Inspector General CRPF

Fresh training, new SOPs, control of civilian traffic, use of bulletproof bunkers, drones and CCTVs are some of the strategic changes which the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has made in these two years to avoid a repeat of the devastating 2019 Lethpora Pulwama attack, Inspector General (IG), CRPF, Deepak Ratan said on Sunday on the second anniversary of the ghastly attack.

At CRPF’s Lethpora camp, officers and jawans paid tributes to the 40 personnel on their second death anniversary who had lost their lives in the suicide attack on the Srinagar-Jammu highway on February 14, 2018.

IG CRPF Deepak Ratan said that they have made many changes in these two years.“There has been a change in our SOP and our equipment have also improved,” he said.

He said that they have also amended and modified their training keeping in mind the contingencies that have happened in the valley or can happen in future. “All of them have been kept in mind so that whenever terrorists strike they will get a befitting response,” he said.

The IG said that the road opening parties (ROP) which would provide security to the highway have been given new training coupled with new SOPs.

“It was done to prevent and stop the incidents (like Pulwama), the way a civilian vehicle filled with explosives had struck our convoy causing heavy damages. That is why the traffic on road during convoy movement is controlled, convoy limit has also been contained,” he said.

Adil Dar, a resident of Pulwama, had blown himself up when he rammed an explosive-laden car into the CRPF convoy at Lethpora Pulwama killing 40 personnel. Terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for the suicide attack prompting the security forces to launch rigorous operations against militants in Kashmir.

The attack had brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

Ratan said that a lot of movement of jawans now happens by air courier service. “Mostly the movement of ‘stores’ happens through convoys. Enough precautions are being taken on roads, bunkers have been installed and deployment has been made so that such an incident does not happen again, its possibility has been minimized,” he said.

The forces are also making use of modern technology. “CCTVs have been installed at many points on the highway, drones are also being used. The movement of our vehicles generally takes places in bulletproof bunkers. Enough precautions, as well as equipment, have been installed to avoid such type of an incident,” he said.