New Delhi: The Centre has asked the security forces to procure non-lethal ammunition on a large scale for better crowd control in trouble-prone areas of Jammu and Kashmir, bracing for a possible summer of unrest like the one in 2016, Union home ministry sources said.

Officials in the security establishment have hinted that the Kashmir pot is boiling, considering increased infiltration by terrorists from Pakistan and radicalisation of local youths, many of whom have recently taken up arms and joined militancy.

The problem has been compounded by the increased friction between the ruling coalition partners in Jammu and Kashmir - the People's Democratic Party and the BJP.

"The central government has asked the CRPF to buy non-lethal munitions in large numbers to tackle violent protests, if any, as Kashmir is staring at another summer of violence.

"Protests had relatively come down in winter but according to ground reports the Valley is likely to witness unrest similar to the one in 2016 following the killing of a Hizb commander (Burhan Wani)," a Union home ministry official said.

Stone-pelting mobs had then fought pitched battles with security forces during violent protests especially in south and central Kashmir.

Acting on the Centre's order, the sources said, the CRPF has approached the BSF's Tear Smoke Unit in Madhya Pradesh's Tekanpur and placed a bulk order for 3 lakh rubber bullets, 2 lakh tear gas shells and 1 lakh chilli grenades. The paramilitary force has also ordered a large number of dye-marker grenades - meant to help identify protesters who flee after being hit.

The Tear Smoke Unit manufactures all non-lethal, crowd-control ammunition for the security forces except for pellets.

The CRPF, which has 60,000 personnel in the Valley to assist the local police in maintaining law and order and conducting counter-terrorism operations, had faced criticism for using pellets in the Valley as a non-lethal alternative to bullets.

The pellets had left a dozen people dead and 300-odd blinded in at least one eye during the 2016 protests.

"The security agencies have been asked to use non-lethal munitions to control violent protests and the use of pellets has been restricted to only extreme situations," said the home ministry official. He also pointed to the Supreme Court's suggestion last year to the Centre to devise alternative methods to control protesters in Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2017, the Narendra Modi government had procured from the Israeli army stink bombs that are used as non-lethal ammunition for crowd control and maintenance of law and order. But security experts had discouraged its use in the Valley after an unsuccessful trial.

Some officials had also rejected it saying the stink bombs, which smell like decomposed bodies and raw sewage and are sprayed from water cannons, would trigger a row as the stench is so powerful that it sticks to the clothes and bodies for days.

Some officials attached to the Jammu and Kashmir division of the home ministry said the Valley was in the grip of escalating violence as several militants had been killed in encounters by security forces recently.

"During these encounters, locals gathered at the spots and protested, leading to clashes with security forces. Recently four civilians were killed in Shopian and over 100 injured during a protest," an official of the division said. He said the Centre's iron-hand policy had further alienated people in the state.

"The situation in Kashmir has changed drastically as local youths are now joining militancy in large numbers. Besides, there are militants from Pakistan. The government needs to hold dialogue with people rather than depend on the use of force to deal with the Kashmir problem. The use of force has backfired and led to more support for militancy," the official said, requesting anonymity.

The trust deficit between the PDP and the BJP has made things worse. The recent rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu's Kathua has further divided the society along regional and religious lines.

"The Centre, which had earlier spoken about implementing a strategy for a political solution to the problem, has gone back on its words," the official said, requesting anonymity.