Srinagar, March 03: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been high-tech Critical Situation Response Vehicles (CSRV) during the Pulwama gunfight in which three terrorists and a soldier were killed on Tuesday.
The CSRV, which can accommodate at least three commandos, could reach the upper floors of a building while shielding them from the bullets during counter-insurgency operations.
CSRVs came under focus after the photograph of one of them used in the operation in Padgampora village surfaced on the Internet.
The hard armour at CSRV’s front can also be used to break walls and provide an entry into a building for security personnel, as per a report in Hindustan Times.
“The two CSRVs were designed and developed for counter-terror operations in urban or semi-urban areas during 2018-2020. Both are used only in the Valley. The vehicles were modified with the help of the Special Vehicles Branch of Motor Transport Directorate, CRPF headquarters,’ said a CRPF officer, as per the report.
“It is provided with…a hydro-pneumatic hammer for ramming and breaching the compound boundary wall structure. It also helps in the demolition of any obstruction such as tin sheet boundary at perimeters.”
The armoured platform at the front of a CSRV accommodates armed soldiers to engage any target. “The platform can be raised or elevated with hydraulic power to provide an aerial view to the soldiers to effectively engage the enemy,” the officer said.