Srinagar/Jammu The Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided to move out 31 CRPF companies involved in maintaining law and order in Srinagar and shift them out of the state within a week. Many of these CRPF companies were brought in during the Amarnath protests and for the Assembly polls.

The CRPF had sought permission to withdraw over 60 companies from Srinagar in a phased manner. The Union Home Ministry had also discussed the issue of withdrawing the CRPF with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. In fact, it was after these discussions that Omar announced that J-K Police would replace CRPF personnel in Srinagar and other major towns. He had also said the J-K Police would be at the forefront to handle the law and order problem.

"We have started moving out 31 companies (3,100 men) from the city," said CRPF spokesman Prabhakar Tripathi. "These companies will be moved out in a week's time and they will be sent out of the state."

The CRPF was first brought into the Valley in 1990 to fight militancy but it was gradually replaced by the Border Security Force (BSF). However, a few years ago, the CRPF was brought back to replace the BSF. The replacement took place after the recommendation of a group of ministers.

The CRPF was in the thick of controversies, with the police registering many cases against it for open fire at the protesters during the Amarnath protests last year.

The J-K Police, however, are all geared up to take control of the city. "We are fully equipped to handle the law and order problem," said a senior J-K Police officer.

Meanwhile, the state Government on Wednesday gave its nod for raising five battalions of Indian Reserve Police (IRP), a division of J&K Police, for anti-militancy operations, said sources. Nearly 6,000 police personnel would be deployed after raising these battalions.

"The state Government gave concurrence for raising additional police force battalions here yesterday," sources said. The Director General of Police (DGP) confirmed the raising of additional battalions.

Sources added the police had already started the process of raising four more police battalions for which recruitment was on. This would provide an additional deployment of 4,000 police personnel and with nearly 6,000 vacancies in the Police Department, which have already been sanctioned by the Government, the withdrawal of paramilitary forces would be compensated.

Officials said while the Government might sanction more police battalions, they said the police recruitment was being done through a process involving the police's own recruitment boards and the selection was being made through many stages.

As for the constable-level posts, the recruitment is being done by the district police chiefs. For the state-level jobs, the recruitment is being done through a central board which is headed by Inspector General of armed police after the abilities are vetted by the regional boards under the jurisdiction of the Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs) of police.