In the backdrop of the intense criticism faced by security forces for their use of pellet guns in Jammu and Kashmir, the BPR&D study shared with the Home Ministry and all State Governments, discusses several sophisticated “weapons” used by militaries and police forces across the world to douse protests.
From a “scream” so loud that it brings protesters to their knees to a smell so strong that it scatters a violent mob, a recent study on ‘crowd control’ conducted by Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) lists several alternatives in the category of “less lethal weapons” developed around the world in 1990s and early 2000s to control riots or mass agitations. India, which used a less lethal weapon, a water cannon developed by DRDO, for the first time in Ayodhya in the aftermath of the destruction of Babri Masjid, has now many less-lethal weapons in its armoury. However, the study asserts that crowd control first requires a police officer to understand the mob’s psychology, and also have the ability to handle a crowd tactfully (but firmly) and disperse it with the minimum use of force. The study, conducted by retired IPS officer P P S Sindhu states that: “Force, when not used judiciously, apart from making the officer’s action questionable, will also aggravate the situation”.
In the category of weapons for crowd control, the study describes the Active Denial System in which a dish on a vehicle projects electromagnetic radiation just powerful enough to penetrate human skin and make the nervous system think the victim is on fire although no physical damage is done.
Among small ammunitions that are non-lethal, the study talks about plastic bullets, wax bullets, rubber bullets, bean bag rounds, Ring Airfoil Projectiles (kinetic and tear gas), electroshock weapons such as Taser, which are less lethal than conventional metal bullets and are also propelled at lower speed by using less propellant.
Some of these ammunitions are available with Indian forces and police in J&K. The CRPF has been using pellet guns, which have led to eye-injuries to protesters and drawn criticism. The central paramilitary forces also have chilli and pepper-based bullets, grenades and recently introduced PAVA (Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide) shells but these have not been very successful on violent protesters. The BPR&D study also lists scent-based weapons.”In 2008, Israeli defence forces began using Skunk weapon for crowd control. It is a form of mist sprayed from water cannon, which leaves a terrible odour of rot or sewage on whatever it touches and does not wash off easily,” the study says.
