MOVING FORTRESS: Police personnel deputed to serve in the rapid intervention vehicle of the Dakshina Kannada district police seen at the premises of the District Police Office in Mangalore on Saturday.

MANGALORE: Dressed in their green camouflage fatigues, the personnel deputed to serve on the rapid intervention vehicle (RIV) of the Dakshina Kannada district police stand out from rest of their ilk who sport khaki uniforms.

These personnel, specifically trained to intervene in a riot situation, have been in the thick of things ever since violence broke out in various parts of the city late on Wednesday night.

Aiding them in the task of riot control is their RIV, a Mahindra Bolero retrofitted to meet specific needs of police, particularly to penetrate a riot zone and bring the situation under control. The vehicle, which was officially pressed into service on the eve of elections to zilla panchayat last December, has met the expectations of the department in handling situations in and around the city in the last two days.

B. Dayananda, Superintendent of Police, told The Hindu here on Saturday that the RIV had fulfilled expectations that the department had from it. The two multi tear gas shell launchers (MTSL) with their ability to fire 14 tear gas canisters at targets in long range at one go came in handy when police had to resort to use of tear gas during mob control operations in riot torn areas in the suburbs of the city, he added.

Admitting that the MTSLs were ineffective at short range, Mr. Dayananda said police had to resort to lobbing of tear gas shells in the conventional manner to disperse crowds at close range. With stone guards for windows and the front and back with additional front and side protectors, which can be folded, the RIV looks like a fortress on wheels .

For Ravichandra, one of the personnel serving on the RIV, the past few days have been quite challenging. "We have been on the job without rest since Thursday," he said. "We managed to get three hours rest on Friday and the two hours rest today was a luxury," he added.

Naik, Pradeep, Manjunath, Kishore and K.P. Ramachandra, driver of the RIV, are other operators of this moving fortress.

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