More than 2,000 additional state police personnel, most from specialised forces, have been deployed in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, a top West Bengal police official said today.
The officer's comments came in the backdrop of the union home ministry's statement that paramilitary forces cannot substitute state police and should be deployed only in emergencies.
The police officer told PTI on the condition of anonymity that 2,500 state police personnel were already posted in the districts which witnessed a three-and-half-month long shutdown over the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state.
An additional 2000-strong force has also been deployed there over the past few months, he said.
"The state police is being fully utilised for duties in the area. Apart from this the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) deployed in the two districts are being fully utilised," he said.
The union home ministry's communication to the state said, "CAPFs can't substitute the state police force as their deployment is related to emergency crisis in states for maintaining law and order."
The ministry's missive came after the West Bengal government moved the Calcutta High Court and got a stay against the central government's move to withdraw 700 CAPF personnel from Darjeeling.
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