Army writes against police and CAPF staff using its combat dress

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army has written a letter to the department of military affairs to take up a case with the defence and home ministries for issuing guidelines that army’s combat dress should not be worn by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and state police forces, two people familiar with the move said asking not to be named.

The letter was sent on Monday

a day after certain CAPF/ state police personnel deployed with Delhi Police to address the anti-caa protest at Jaffrabad were seen wearing the Indian Army pattern combat dress, said one of the people. This is not the first time that the army has sought the government’s intervention to issue guidelines on combat dress --- the force has flagged the issue on multiple occasions over the last 15 years.

The army has again written that combat dress should not be worn by CAPFS pan- India while being employed to handle law and order situations as also in urban areas affected by terrorism, as the surroundings do not demand such a requirement, the first person added. The army has pointed out that the use of distinctly different (both in colour and pattern) disruptive dress by CAPFS and state police forces should be restricted only to jungle terrain in left-wing extremism affected areas.

The army has also stressed that as bullet proof jackets cover most part of the torso, those used by CAPFS and state police forces should be of plain Khaki colour and not of combat pattern, the second person said. He added that the army also wants the sale of army pattern clothes in the open market to be regulated.