Crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir is a public security practice to prevent and manage violent riots. It is enforced by police forces through laws preventing unlawful assembly, as well as using riot control agents such as tear gas, chili grenades, and pellet guns (riot shotguns that fire pellet cartridges).
In 2010, India instituted the use of pellet guns to control protestors violently clashing with the police. The use of pellet cartridges was criticized by several NGOs due to the grievous and lethal injuries they cause. The government in 2016 formed a committee to look into alternative riot control agents. The army recommended to the committee that non-lethal weapons – including pepper guns, sonic cannons, and chili grenades – replace pellet guns. Based on the committee's report, the use of these alternative riot control agents were initiated against violent crowds. However, the Minister of Home Affairs clarified in 2017, that "if these measures prove to be ineffective in dispersing of rioters, use of pellet guns may be resorted to". In a 2018 report, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called on both India and Pakistan to investigate the abuse of rights in the regions administered by them.
As a part of the graded response to violent protests, Indian police forces have used plastic bullets before pellet guns. The security forces have multiple options for enforcing crowd control such as tear smoke shells, PAVA shells, rubber bullets fired from gas guns, plastic bullets, and pellet guns before finally resorting to opening fire against stone pelting protestors during violent clashes.
Background
India and Pakistan have fought three wars in Kashmir during 1947–1948, 1965 and the Kargil War in 1999. In 27 years, between 1990 and 2017, insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir claimed a total of 41,000 lives (14,000 civilians, 5,000 security personnel and 22,000 militants) according to government figures made available in 2017.
In February 2010, the Special Director General (J&K) Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) N K Tripathi stated that since the militancy related activities have declined in the region, "a new form of gunless terrorism in the shape of stone-pelting has emerged in Kashmir", "It is being funded by Pakistan and its agencies through Over Ground Workers (sympathisers of militants) and hawala channels" with an objective to disturb the peace in Kashmir and India. He added that "There are a large number of instances of unprovoked stone-pelting by hostile mobs on CRPF that has left 1500 jawans injured and close to 400 vehicles damaged in the last one-and-a-half year" (2009–10).
In June 2018, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued the UN's first-ever report on human rights conditions in Kashmir. Because both Pakistan and India excluded UN investigators from their territories, the report was based on public domain information and research by local and international human rights groups. United Nations human rights officials through the report had asked both India and Pakistan to investigate the abuse of rights in the regions administered by them. The report asked for numerous human rights corrections on both sides, and asked Pakistan to stop misusing anti-terror legislation. India rejected the report, which asked for urgent repeal of the 1990 Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act under which its security forces have immunity. Pakistan refutes UN allegations that it supports Kashmiri militants.
Indian security forces have been criticised for using excessive force to control protests in Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani military has supported the militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba and have been seen by observers as the "main impediment to a final peace".
According to data accessed by The Times of India in 2016, Jammu and Kashmir saw at least a three-yearpeak in riots, totalling 2897rioting incidents. According to Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, K. Durga Prasad, the director-general of the CRPF during 2016, there were 47incidents of grenade attacks and 43petrol or acid attacks on CRPF personnel in the region, as well as 142incidents of stone pelting reported on CRPF camps. Rioting fell to 732incidents in the valley in 2018, with 51protesters being killed during clashes and 37protesters being killed during encounters.