Srinagar: In the wake of the Pulwama attack, the conveys of CRPF moving to and fro from the Kashmir valley will be lead by a Superintendent of Police-rank officer, reported the Press Trust of India.
The report also said that a single motorcade will not have more than 40 vehicles at any point of time.
According to PTI, a set of new standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the force headquarters in New Delhi for vehicle-mounted movement of troops in Jammu and Kashmir, and it has also been ordered that the “passenger manifest discipline” for each vehicle in the convoy be strictly adhered to.
Among the first set of changed SOPs is the move to depute a second-in-command rank officer (equivalent to Superintendent of Police rank) of the force to lead the convoy instead of the current practice of a junior Assistant Commandant-rank (Assistant SP) officer heading the entourage.
“This is to ensure that the convoy is led by an experienced and senior officer who will have a better clairvoyance and strategy to manoeuvre the convoy to and from the Kashmir Valley which is operationally very sensitive due to terrorist acts and IED threats,” sources told PTI.
This will also upgrade the accountability hierarchy and the new convoy commander will now directly report and co-ordinate with one of the three CRPF Deputy Inspector General (operations) based in Kashmir.
Till now, the convoy commander or the Assistant Commandant used to report through the Commandant to their higher-ups.
On February 14, 49 CRPF personnel were killed in a suicide attack on their convey in Lethpora area of Pulwama. Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed the responsibility of the attack.
