Chidambaram in Kashmir to review situation

Chidambaram jointly chaired the unified command headquarters meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and called for evolving a strategy for the replacement of the Indian paramilitary, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) by local police for essential duties in Kashmir. The visit came in the backdrop of the massive violent protests and general shutdown across Kashmir in past over a week touched off by the rape and murder of two women in Shopian on May 30. Chidambaram said, ?The controlling officers of the CRPF and police should sit together to work out a strategy for gradual substitution of central reserve police force by local police in the essential duties that should ordinarily be performed by the Jammu and Kashmir police.? Stating that the duties assigned to the security forces and the police are well defined, Chidambaram said ?while army and paramilitary forces are tasked to perform security-related duties, the local police should perform all the essential police functions relating to maintenance of law and order?; Kazinform cites the Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version