MHA tells states: Don’t rely only on Central forces

New Delhi: In the wake of the ongoing standoff with the West Bengal government on the deployment of Central forces in Darjeeling, the home ministry informed all states that paramilitary forces should not be used as a substitute for the state police and should be deployed only in case of an emergency.

The MHA’s communication comes in view of the West Bengal government approaching the Calcutta high court and getting a stay on the Centre’s order to withdraw 700 Central police battalions from the Darjeeling hill districts which has seen an agitation for over three months now over the issue of a separate state of Gorkhaland. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also discussed the issue with Union home minister Rajnath Singh and protested against the Centre’s decision.

In its communication, the MHA has directed the states to constitute a separate committee to examine requirements of Central forces after analysing the internal security situation, intelligence inputs and availability of Central forces in nearby areas. The Centre, the advisory said, had already formed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the deployment of paramilitary forces as they need to deal with other important issues like protecting borders, counter insurgency and other anti-national activities that require immediate and swift action on their part.

The MHA said some states requisition Central forces for situations that can be handled by the local police. The states are often reluctant to release these Central forces after deployment, and this should be avoided unless there are valid and justified security reasons to retain them.

Deployment of Central forces comes at a cost which the state governments have to pay for, but there are huge outstanding amounts against some states and Union territories, the ministry clarified. The states, it added, should follow the laid-down SOPs and form a committee headed by an additional DGP (law and order), including the representatives of the Intelligence Bureau and of the Central paramilitary forces.

It said the government has sanctioned a number of India Reserve Battalions in the states, and “these are not being used optimally by state governments,” it said. The basic purpose of the IRBs was to make states self-sufficient in tackling law and order and internal security situations by avoiding dependence on Central forces, the MHA added.