Tired and overworked

True to Sardar Patel8217;s prediction that a paramilitary force would be imperative in the post-Independence and post-Partition scenario, the CRPF had to be deployed when unrest broke out among the tribes in Nagaland in 1954. And it was there for keeps. The force again played a significant rolein the wars of 1962, 1965 and 1971.

Today, almost three decades later, the reserve8217; in the CRPF8217;s name is a misnomer, say its frustrated officers. In the last decade, when counter-insurgency operations stretched from border to border, the CRPF is in the thick of the action. Whether it be during the Naxalite problem in the South and Bihar in the late Seventies, the period after the destruction of the Babri Masjid, the counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast and in Jammu and Kashmir, or the super-cyclone devastation in Orissa and the riots in Gujarat last year, or the numerous elections, the CRPF has been deployed to maintain law and order. 8220;As of now, 85 to 90 per cent of the force is serving in sensitive areas,8221; says a commandant.

8220;The Border Security Force BSF, the Indo-Tibet Border Police ITBP, the Central Industrial Security Force CISF and the Railway Protection Force the other paramilitary forces have particular roles,8221; says an Assistant Director General of the CRPF. 8220;More orless, they continue to function within the parameters set when they were raised. However, given the multi-dimensional nature of the CRPF, we are being pushed to the extreme. Regular deployment in sensitive areas don8217;t even allow us a check on the operational readiness of our men.8221;

According to the ADG, apart from the basic training programme that every jawan undergoes during induction, the CRPF has no operational training review like the Army. 8220;The force is being shunted from one corner of the country to the other and there is absolutely no time for such a review. We are a professional force. We just cannot do without regular, up-to-date training 8212; and training according to the tasks that have been assigned to us,8221; he says.

A high-ranking officer admits that because of such shortfalls, the psychological preparedness and combat skills of the men have suffered. 8220;Recently, in a shooting exercise, out of 39 personnel none could score a bull8217;s eye,8221; said the officer. Further, the officers say there is notraining programme for CRPF personnel in interacting with civilians. 8220;They do not have the skills. They have never been trained. Civil-military liaison conferences are there but only for a day or two. What we need is a comprehensive exercise in dealing with civilians,8221; says a deputy commandant.

The drop-of-the hat transfers of CRPF units is an example of the Centre8217;s attitude towards the men of the force, say its officers. A case in point: A unit raised in 1983 was deployed late in 1984 in Srinagar for two months. The following year, after spending about five months in Orissa, it was sent to Punjab. Four months later, the unit was sent to the Valley, from where it was brought back to Punjab. Within two years, th unit was moved to Delhi, a peace posting, and then sent back to the Valley. The next posting was in another corner of the country, in Assam.

In the 17 years since the unit was raised, the men have served only two peace postings out of eight. 8220;Of the 2 lakh personnel in the CRPF, almost 1.7 lakhare deployed in sensitive areas. In the Army, on the other hand, after a hard8217; posting, a serving man can hope for a soft8217; area, but it is not so with the CRPF jawan. It all depends on his luck,8221; says a commandant.

The CRPF is under the Home Ministry and therefore the central government, but its accommodation needs have to fulfilled by state governments. 8220;This issue often leaves us haggling with the states,8221; says an officer. 8220;The orders for our movement are issued but the state has no room for us.8221;Thus, many CRPF installations function from tents for years, in abysmal living conditions. 8220;A tent meant for eight people may house twice as many.

Even WHO directives say that at least a distance of three feet must be maintained between beds for the sake of hygiene. And the toilets are likely to be nearby wastelands or a dugout with canvas for walls,8221; says one CRPF officer.

The metamorphosis of the Crown Representative8217;s Police into CRPF is still incomplete, for the capacity of the force isover-stretched. Given the CRPF8217;s increasingly important role in internal security, it is time the Central government streamlined even its multi-dimensional role.