Staff crunch hits police stations on China border

Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, which shares a porous border with China, depends upon outdated arms like .303 rifles to tackle crime, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) said.

Smuggling of rare species of fauna and of Chinese goods are reported quite frequently in this district.

The police stations in Kinnaur continued to depend on outdated weapons like .303 rifles instead of the prescribed 7.62 mm self-loading rifles (SLRs) affecting the striking capabilities of the police force, the CAG said, in a report tabled in the state Assembly last week.

The CAG report pointed out that the requirement of weapons was not fully met (by the state government), and in case of 7.62 mm SLRs, it was highly deficient at 98 per cent.