Home Minister Rajnath Singh has asked for a reorganisation of the Central Reserve Police Force, the primary counter-insurgency force fighting the Naxals. Former CRPF director-general K Vijay Kumar talks to Indulekha Aravind about the various aspects of reform, the criticism that the force is too multifarious and the need to offer similar pay and allowances to personnel handling the same tasks. Excerpts:
You are a member of the committee set up to formulate the reorganisation plan, according to reports. What are the areas that you would be looking into?
There are 2-3 aspects to reorganisation. One is the administrative side, such as postings and reorganisation of the four zones in the CRPF. There was a proposal in February last year about the latter, regarding giving preferential postings within the zones to those who had served in the CRPF for a long time, within the options available. The second aspect is that some of the senior officers in CRPF are located a little away from the headquarters, so whether they could be located a little closer to the operational theatre would be looked into. The other revamps under consideration include the training aspect, the operational aspect and a couple of other aspects as well.
What are the most pressing issues that need to be addressed?
The most pressing issue would be to improve the satisfaction level of the troops, in terms of whether they could be given a preferential posting near their home, within the dynamics of the CRPF, which is always moving towards a theatre of discontent or unrest, and keeping in mind the the organisation of the administration and the government of India's interest. There should be convergence of all these three issues. Another vital aspect is non-erosion of the all-India character of the CRPF, such as if you send Kannadigas to Kannada-speaking regions. But the director-general assures us that it will not happen.
There is a view that the CRPF has become too multifarious, which has proved detrimental. Would you agree with this?
The multifarious nature is both a bane and boon, a blessing and the nemesis. But according to the Kargil Review Committee, and the concept of "one force, one border" or "one force, one task," the primary responsibility of counter insurgency is given to CRPF. It predominantly handles counter-insurgency and law and order alone, apart from a large presence in Jammu and Kashmir and North-East as well. Thus, it's task will continue to be multifarious because there's no other force that can substitute CRPF. What can perhaps be done is a little more orientation and preparation.
CRPF is the only paramilitary force with women battalions. Will it consider deploying more such battalions, that too in counterinsurgency operations?
It's probably the biggest women's force of its kind in the world, with some 3,000 troops. They can be used in counter-insurgency operations, but this is purely a matter of policy. There is nothing to prevent greater deployment.
A former officer mentioned that leadership issues are a hindrance to the CRPF's functioning, in terms of senior IPS officers being parachuted into the force as DIGs.
If the most brilliant, savvy officers come into this force, I don't see how this could be an issue. It's just a matter of the best IPS officers volunteering to come and serve. On the other hand, the CRPF also has a huge officer cadre of 4,000 officers. The growth of this cadre in the top positions is very important to keep them motivated. It should be regularly done.
What about remuneration and living conditions of the troops - are these areas that need reform?
This is a vital point because the CRPF keeps moving from one hotspot to another, something like going from the frying pan to the fire. Also, there should be similarity in pay and allowances among troops posted in the same region. Weightage could be given to risk and various other parameters such as hostility of the locals, etc associated with that region.
