TVSN Prasad committee has submitted its report to Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi. The committee was constituted to look into the alternatives to pellet guns. In its reports, the committee does not agree complete removal of the pellet guns in the Kashmir Valley but suggests that it should be replaced with rubber, polymer and paper bullets.
Recommendations
- The pellet guns should be used in rarest of rare cases.
- Use of other non-lethal weapons for crowd control like chilli grenade shells.
- Use of Nonivamide or Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide (PAVA) shells and other non-lethal ammunition like ‘stun lac cells’.
- Use of Long Range Acoustic Device (LARD)which creates a deafening noise to paralyse people could prove dangerous for old buildings in rural areas in downtown Srinagar.
- Tear gas shells should be made of plastic so that on being fired it may melts and cannot be picked up by the protestors.
- Change of the gas in tear gas shell to make it more effective.
Background
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had constituted a seven-member expert committee headed by TVSN Prasad on use of pallet guns. It was constituted after the use of pellet guns had blinded and injured many protestors in Kashmir Valley protesting over killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in July 2016.
Further NEWS:
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the use of Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide (PAVA) shells as an alternative to pellet guns for crowd controlling in Jammu and Kashmir.
