The Union Home Ministry of India has ordered the immediate withdrawal of 100 companies or around 10,000 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel from Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior government official said that the Home Ministry reviewed the deployment of CAPFs and it was decided to withdraw 40 companies of Central Reserve Police Force, 20 companies each of Border Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

This the first time such a large number of central forces are being pulled out of J&K since additional forces were rushed there days before August 5, 2019, when the former State was stripped of its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution.

Around 7,000 personnel were withdrawn from J&K in December 2019 but in July 2020 another 10,000 CAPF personnel were deployed there.