Taking a serious note of the police and the Central armed police forces (CAPF)donning Army pattern uniform while deployed on law and order duties, the Army has written to the Defence Ministry to take suitable action to ask the concerned forces to refrain from putting on such uniforms. This move came after some CAPF and Police personnel deployed with Delhi police to address anti-Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) protest in the national Capital on February 23 were seen wearing Army pattern combat fatigues.
“Wearing of combat dress by CAPFs and State Police forces may be misinterpreted as the Army being deployed for internal security duties and election. Indian Army has again written to the Department of Military Affairs on February 24 requesting Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to issue following guidelines for immediate implementation," sources said here on Tuesday.
The guidelines requested include that combat dress should not be worn by CAPFs across India while being employed to handle law and order situations as also while being deployed in urban areas affected by terrorism, as the surroundings do not demand such a requirement.
"Use of distinctly different disruptive dress, both in colour and pattern, by CAPFs and State Police forces should be restricted only to employment in jungle terrain in Left Wing Extremist (LWE) affected areas," they said adding the Bullet Proof Jackets (BPJ) cover most parts of the torso hence, the BPJs should be of plain Khaki colour and not of combat colour.
Sources also said the sale of Army pattern clothes in the open market needs to be regulated and private vendors in open market should establish identity and maintain a record of personnel to whom the Army pattern clothes, including accessories and
accoutrements, are being sold, as proposed by the
home ministry on March 31, 2016.
The Army has from time to time raised the issue with the defence ministry on the increasing trend of CAPFs and State Police forces wearing combat uniforms similar to the Army pattern.
