The CRPF has sent 21,000 rounds of newly-developed and "less lethal" plastic bullets to the Kashmir Valley to tackle street protests, says a top officer of the force. "Tests have shown that these plastic bullets are less lethal. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), deployed in counter-insurgency and law and order operations in Jammu and Kashmir, had ordered for the plastic bullets so that troops can just replace lethal metal bullets and use the new plastic ones. Bhatnagar said both 47 and 56, the AK series of rifles, are used by the CRPF units deployed in the Kashmir Valley. The usage of pellets in the Kashmir Valley had come under heavy criticism after locals suffered grevious injuries, including blindness in some cases, in the last few years.

Source: Economic Times October 07, 2017 11:15 UTC