The Hindu : New Delhi News : Seelampur riots expose loopholes in intelligence

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 23, 2006
ePaper

New Delhi

New Delhi

Seelampur riots expose loopholes in intelligence

The police could have made preventive arrests of all undesirable elements, observes Devesh K. Pandey

The Seelampur riots in Delhi in which four persons were killed and 10 injured in police firing have once again underlined the need for better preparations on the part of law enforcement agencies to deal with such situations. It has also exposed the loopholes in the local intelligence mechanism that from time to time issues warnings about anticipated law and order problems.

To begin with, the police knew well in advance that the traders had called a bandh across the Capital on Wednesday to protest against the court-ordered sealing drive and there was every likelihood of things getting out of hand. As part of routine procedure, the intelligence wing of the police would have been activated to collate inputs from across the Capital about the planning of various groups taking part in the bandh. Presumably, beat officers would also have been directed to collect all necessary information about the bandh through their local contacts.

North-East Delhi has traditionally been very sensitive in terms of public outrage over various issues and even the smallest of incidents here has the potential to cause tension. The police should have laid emphasis on collecting detailed inputs on those expected to join the protests and demonstrations apart from keeping a close watch on anti-social elements who could take advantage of the situation to trigger off violence. The police could also have made preventive arrests of all undesirable elements to make sure that they did not create any disturbance.

Now that four lives have been lost in the incident, investigations indicate that country-made firearms were used at some places to fire at the police. Over 120 people have been arrested on charges of involvement in the riots. The police have also registered a separate case against the president of a political party and several of its members for fomenting trouble and destroying public property. Besides, over 60 policemen were injured in the clashes.

For their part, the police feel that they tried all possible means to make sure that no lives were lost. "We used water-cannon and then physical force to disperse the mob. But when the situation went out of control, we were forced to use rubber pellets and then real ones," said a police officer.

While many feel that the police should exercise reasonable restraint in using force to contain such situations and improve there intelligence network, it is also very much true that they are often outnumbered by anti-social elements in such circumstances. At times, managing a "leaderless" crowd becomes a very tough job as all the strategies for crowd-management are rendered ineffective when it comes to dealing with an unruly mob of rioters armed with bricks and stones. On the issue of use of force, the Bureau of Police Research and Development recommends that there should be reduction in the lethality of the arms and use of gadgets like shock batons, maze and rubber pellets should be encouraged for an effective and less brutal policing. The police may also opt for ink grenades, which are used for post-incident identification of those involved in the rioting, and stun grenades, which act as immobilisers, to control law and order situations in a more professional manner.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi