The Hindu : National : Arms recovery claim by CRPF questioned

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Arms recovery claim by CRPF questioned

Staff Reporter

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Police have questioned the claim of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) relating to recovery of explosives on Friday.

The explosives were reportedly recovered from a house near the venue of a public meeting addressed by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister Shivraj Patil in Bhaderwah area of Doda district.The police have refused to register a First Information Report in the case.

The CRPF said it recovered the explosives few hours before the visit of the two leaders. The catch included 3 kg of RDX, two Chinese grenades, two detonators, four pikka rounds and a wireless set. CRPF Inspector General J.C. Dabas had complimented his jawans on the recovery.

Police have ordered an inquiry headed by SSP, Doda, Manohar Singh. “We will take 10 days to come out with a final report,” Mr. Singh told The Hindu on Sunday.

“The process of investigations has been initiated with the questioning of the owner of the house from where the explosives were reportedly recovered and the personnel who claim to have recovered them. Circumstantial evidence will also be taken into consideration.”

According to the officer, the CRPF usually took the local police unit along in any operation in the district. In this case this was not done. “We have refused to register a First Information Report on the recovery of explosives… there are provisions in the law under which the genuineness of the claim must be verified before registering an FIR.”

The CRPF’s claim of recovery of pikka rounds was surprising as in the last few years of militancy in the State, pikka guns, which weigh over 65 kg, had rarely been used by the militants, Mr. Singh said.

Of late, a number of cases relating to security hyped up by the electronic media had been contradicted by the police. For instance, police recently denied reports that an attempt was made to breach the security of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, a claim made by the electronic media quoting official sources.

In the latest case, the claim was made by a CRPF battalion commandant before television channels on the day of the visit of Ms. Gandhi and Mr. Patil.

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