CRPF wants defective INSAS rifles replaced
The CRPF is the main force involved in operations against Maoists, and the officials said the INSAS should be used in such operations.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has asked the home ministry to replace its indigenously-made INSAS rifles - one of the main weapons for paramilitary forces-with the Russian AK-47 and Israeli-made X 95 assault rifles as the guns have been marred by several problems, including jamming and cracking of the magazines.
"The INSAS is widely used by troopers deployed for crucial operations but the rifle has not been giving the best results," officials said. The officials said there had been several instances of the rifle getting jammed and its magazines getting cracked, and this had become a "major cause of concern".
The CRPF is the main force involved in operations against Maoists, and the officials said the INSAS should be used in such operations. "The lives of our soldiers are at stake. Even a second's delay in opening fire can result in the soldier losing his life," an officer told Mail Today.
"The metallurgy is inferior to foreign rifles. Since the magazine is made of plastic, it often cracks," an official said. Compared to the AK-47 or X 95, the INSAS has a higher error percentage. "While the error percentage is 0.02 per cent for X 95 or AK-47, the figure for the INSAS is as high as 3 per cent," said CRPF Director General Dilip Trivedi.
Sources said the INSAS will have to be phased out gradually as it will not be possible to replace the weapon for the entire force. To begin with, personnel engaged in operations against the Maoists should be provided with new weapons. The CRPF has weapons like AK-47 and X 95 in its armoury but the numbers are limited.
Elite units like COBRA use these weapons but the rest of the force is using the INSAS.