Now, women police battalion to tackle stone-pelters in J&K

An all-women India Reserve battalion (IRB) comprising around 1,000 personnel will be raised in Jammu and Kashmir. The battalion will assist the state police in maintaining law and order that includes dealing with incidents of stone pelting.

The decision was taken in the Kashmir review meeting chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Thursday.

The battalion will be part of the five IRBS, which the Centre has already sanctioned for the state. “The battalions are recruited by the state but a major chunk of expenditure is borne by the Centre,” said a home ministry official privy to the decision.

The recruitment for the battalions is already on and as many as 1,40,000 youths have applied for 5,000 posts. “Around 6,000 women applied for the job. Therefore, it was decided to raise one battalion only from women applicants. The decision is in line with the Centre’s directive to increase representation of women in security forces to 33%,” said the official.

The official said the meeting also reviewed 63 developmental projects that are part of the ₹80,000-crore package for the state announced by PM Narendra Modi in November, 2015.

The Valley has witnessed unprecedented demonstrations led by students, including women, protesting against an alleged security clampdown on students in south Kashmir.