New Delhi: An expert panel constituted by the Home Ministry to find an alternative to pellet guns for crowd control following uproar against its use in Kashmir has zeroed in on 'PAVA shells', a chilli-based ammunition, which is less lethal and immobilises the target temporarily.

The committee held a demonstration of the newly developed shells at a test field here earlier this week and gave the thumbs up for use by security forces for crowd control and during protests like those being witnessed in the Kashmir Valley in place of the pellet guns which have caused grievous injuries and large-scale blinding.