There was a lot of controversy surrounding the use of pellet guns in the recent unrest in Jammu and Kashmir. The paramilitary force submitted the affidavit in response to a PIL filed before the court, seeking ban on use of pellet guns as a means for crowd control mechanism in theValley, which has been rocked by violent protests since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8. "In case, this (pellet gun) is withdrawnfrom the options available with the CRPF, CRPF personnel would have no recourse in extreme situations but to open fire with rifles, which may cause more fatalities," the CRPF said in an affidavit submitted to the high court on Wednesday.

The force said pellet guns were introduced in 2010 and were an accepted weapon of riot control. It said that following the standard operating procedures while dealing with a dynamic law and order problem is difficult in case of moving, bending and running target. The standard operating procedure regarding use of firearms for crowd control in extreme situations requires that the weapon be aimed below the waist.  The CRPF said it has fired around 3,500 pellet cartridges from July 9 to August 11 during violence by protesters in the valley.