India to withdraw 10,000 paramilitary personnel from J&K
The Indian government has ordered "immediate" pullback of nearly 10,000 paramilitary personnel from militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir, officials said yesterday.
The decision, they said, was taken after the federal home ministry reviewed the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in the federally-ruled territory, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
A total of 100 CAPF companies have been ordered to be withdrawn "immediately" and revert to their base locations across the country from where they were mobilised to Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 last year when the area was divested of its special constitutional status, the officials said.
As per the directions, a total of 40 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 20 each of the Central Industrial Security Force, the Border Security Force and the Sashastra Seema Bal, will be taken out of Jammu and Kashmir by this week.
The home ministry had last withdrawn about 10 CAPF companies from Jammu and Kashmir in May.
Jammu and Kashmir was placed under strong security cover since August last year after the Indian government's move to prevent a possible backlash to the abrogation of Article 370.
Over the last months, several restrictive measures imposed for a year have been gradually withdrawn with regular reviews of the security situation.
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