No official order issued on use of metal batons: Police

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Tuesday said that there was no official order asking its personnel to use improvised metal batons while handling law and order situations across the national capital. On Monday, photographs of a group of police personnel carrying metal batons and arm guards in east Delhi’s Shahdara were widely circulated on social media, prompting criticisms against the Delhi Police for resorting to the use of metal batons against farmers who are protesting at the city borders against the three contentious farm laws.

Apart from photographs of metal baton-wielding personnel, pictures of policemen drilling iron nails on to the roads and heavily barricading them -reportedly to stop farmers from driving their tractors into the national capital -- were also widely circulated.

Currently, police use canes, water cannons and tear gas shells for riot control and metal batons have not been a part of their riot gear.

Joint commissioner of police (eastern range) Alok Kumar said they got the batons on an experimental basis to counter rioters who may be armed with swords.

The usage of improvised metal batons was a “defensive mechanism and not an aggressive one”, he insisted.

“Everyone has seen the violence during the tractor rally on January 26; barricades were broken, agreed upon route was not followed, rally began before the scheduled time and tractors were used as weapon against police personnel,” he told ANI.

“There is no official order for its usage, and it was being used on an experimental basis.”

Officers aware of the matter said so far, only 10 to 15 policemen were given the batons. The decision to use such batons did not come from the police headquarters, senior officers said.

“It’s a makeshift arrangement to minimise injury in case a policeman is attacked by rioters armed with swords. This new baton will help stop the blow of a sword and prevent the personnel from sustaining grievous injury,” said an officer, who wished not to be named.

Last week, a police inspector was injured after he was allegedly struck by a sword by one of the farmers camping at Singhu border after clashes broke out between farmers and a group of about 200 men, who claiming to be locals tried to disband tents put up by farmers. Also, during the Republic Day violence, many protesters who took to the streets were seen wielding swords.