Bhopal: The CRPF is recalibrating its training module to tackle stone-pelting mobs in Kashmir that are a headache for law enforcement. This is part of a new focus on urban insurgency, say sources.Feedback from officers who have handled such mobs in the Valley has been analysed to see how stone pelters mobilise, attack and harry security forces. This information was used to formulate a strategy to counter such violent mobs more effectively, but in a non-lethal manner, say sources.Five to six battalions of CRPF from Madhya Pradesh are permanently stationed in Kashmir. Some 1,600 fresh recruits will now be trained in the new tactics at CRPF schools in Madhya Pradesh. About 350 have arrived and the training will start in a fortnight.The impetus for this shift in riot-control tactics was the aftermath of Burhan Wani's death. CRPF officers from MP, who were posted in Kashmir at the time, prepared case studies on the mob violence. This was analysed and the top brass decided to equip paramilitary troopers better to handle such mobs.CRPF IG (MP Sector) Pankaj Kumar said the 44-week training will be held in Bhopal and Neemuch. Riot control and law and order are integral parts of training, which has been calibrated on fresh challenges, like stone pelting incidents in the Valley, he added.As many as 411 incidents of stone-pelting were reported in the Kashmir Valley between October 2016 and March 2017 — nearly three a day. Hundreds of paramilitary forces have been injured and finding an effective response is hard because fighting stones with bullets will lead to civilian casualties.Officials said that they used "feedback-based case studies" on how crowds react to a particular situation and how quickly the violence intensifies to frame a regimen for practical and theoretical training. With this, paramilitary troopers will be better prepared, mentally and physically, to deal with challenges like stone-hurling mobs, said an officer.Officials pointed out that there is always scope of improvement in law-and-order tactics. Smoke grenades were replaced by pellet guns as protesters started throwing the smoke canisters back at security forces. The pellet guns themselves ignited more controversy. Dealing with stone pelters has been a major issue in Kashmir, leading to drastic and unconventional countermeasures. Recently, a video surfaced of a man tied to an Army vehicle as a human shield against stone pelters during polling in Srinagar Lok Sabha byelection, triggering an outcry. The government stood by the Army. Tribals in MP's Jhabua have offered their expertise in slingshots to help paramilitary forces counter stone-pelters in Kashmir.

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