New Delhi:
The chief of one of the top central police forces has asked its personnel to perform their duties "fearlessly" and that he would take "responsibility and accountability" for their decisions. Gyanedra Pratap Singh, the Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), gave the pep talk at the central force's investiture ceremony, days after the CRPF's riot-control unit RAF clashed with protesters in the national capital over exam paper leaks.
The Rapid Action Force (RAF) had used pellet guns at the protest, drawing criticism over alleged use of excess force.
"As the Director General of the CRPF, I want to assure each one of you that whether it is an operational battalion or a law-and-order unit, whatever decisions you take and whatever actions you carry out in the bonafide discharge of your duties, I take responsibility for all those decisions and actions," Singh said.
"Continue to perform your duties fearlessly. Wherever responsibility or accountability needs to be taken, I will take it as the Director General," he said.
Just days ago, he told news agency ANI that a "professional post-event assessment" would be conducted into the actions of the RAF personnel against protesters. The RAF comes under the CRPF and is trained for riot control, crowd management and handling civil unrest. Conducting a "professional post-event assessment" after every major operation is part of the CRPF's standard operating procedure (SOP).
The assessment would review the circumstances under which pellet guns were used and the conditions that led to the action taken against protestors. It will trace the "sequence of events and whether the use of the pellet guns was in accordance with established protocols."
The CRPF has a pan-India presence and is known for its ability to swiftly adjust to diverse situational demands, while collaborating with the state police. It has earned a reputation of being one of the most "widely embraced" forces both by the public and state administrations over the years.