After Outrage, Rapid Action Force Bans Pellet Guns, Shock Weapons In Delhi: Sources

The Rapid Action Force's (RAF) Inspector General Seema Dhundhia has directed personnel to avoid excessive force and strictly adhere to the force's principle of "Sensitive Policing", NDTV has learnt. 

Sources said the Inspector General told RAF personnel and officers that the "excessive use of force" during the protest at the Jantar Mantar was "unjustified and stressed that force must always be used in a graded and proportionate manner, in accordance with prescribed protocols and RAF training".

Sources also said that the Inspector General has ordered that during the RAF's deployment in Delhi under the current circumstances, Projectile Action Guns (PAG), Anti-Riot Guns (ARG), Electric Shock Weapons and Electric Shields will neither be used nor issued until further orders. "She directed all personnel to ensure strict compliance with instructions issued by higher authorities," a source said.

"The IG reiterated that the core principle of the Rapid Action Force is 'Sensitive Policing'. She said that personnel must use only force necessary in a just, restrained and impartial manner. Any unnecessary use of force, including actions purportedly seen in social media videos of alleged violence is unjustified and contrary to the RAF's ethos. She also said that all personnel must uphold the force's standards of disciplined, restrained and sensitive policing in every operation," a source said.

The criticism of the RAF's on-ground personnel and officers was delivered on Wednesday during a virtual meeting chaired by Inspector General Seema Dhundhia. Sources said she also instructed officers not to make any statements to the media.

Sources further said the Inspector General expressed "serious dissatisfaction" with the RAF's handling of the July 20 Jantar Mantar protest, noting that a review identified significant operational shortcomings. "She said these deficiencies must be addressed to improve future operations," a source said.

According to sources, the Inspector General also expressed concern that the force gradient adopted during the protest was not in line with prescribed procedures or RAF training. "She directed personnel to strictly follow the graded use of force by first issuing warnings and escalating only when necessary, while ensuring that any unnecessary or excessive use of force is avoided," another source said.

NDTV had earlier reported on a government hospital confirming that a 28-year-old, who was marching with the protesters on the day, had suffered "pellet wounds" on his right elbow and back.

Moreover, sources also said that the IG said that personnel transferred recently from Special Operations Zones, Jammu and Kashmir, or other operational zones operate in a different environment and cannot be deployed for crowd-control duties without adequate preparation. 

"She stressed that policing protests in states such as Delhi, Bihar, Assam and Maharashtra requires a more sensitive and balanced approach, directing that such personnel undergo proper familiarisation and training in RAF procedures, crowd-management principles and the force's doctrine of "Sensitive Policing" before being assigned field duties," the source explained.