Jantar Mantar crowd swelled after food deliveries: Delhi Police’s key lesson from July protests
Here's the latest protest news from across India:
From allowing food delivery in Jantar Mantar to broken pavements turning into ammunition, Delhi Police and central security agencies have spent the past two months reviewing their handling of the July protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) , identifying lapses and preparing for a fresh round of demonstrations on October 2. With protesters from various civil society groups announcing their return to Jantar Mantar on Friday, police officers admit they are better prepared this time, having conducted a 360-degree review of the security arrangements and response to the protests two months ago. The latest demonstrations center on demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar .
Adding to this, Police have requisitioned at least 20 CAPF companies and placed personnel around Jantar Mantar ahead of the planned demonstrations. (PTI) One of the biggest lapses identified during the review was allowing food delivery to the protest site, people aware of the matter shared.
Meanwhile, “After getting permission, there was unfettered access for all people at Jantar Mantar and on top of that there was free food. We are not mocking the students or civilians who joined the movement, but many stayed overnight at Jantar Mantar simply because free food and water were available. At one point, organisers had to stop asking people to send food. Different groups also brought water and juice to the spot. This arrangement could have continued for months. Criminal elements take advantage of the opportunity,” one officer shared.
Notably, Another official shared police and central armed police forces (CAPFs) had identified stretches in and around the New Delhi area where broken pavements and walls could pose a security risk.
As per the latest buzz, “Stones from broken pavements were used as projectiles last time. This went unnoticed previously. Some criminals broke stones from the pavements and used them to throw at the police and security forces. This time, while the pavements have been fixed, stretches where repairs were not possible have been identified and are being guarded. CCTV cameras have been placed across New Delhi so this will deter anyone trying to instigate violence.”
In further updates, In the past two months, Delhi Police have conducted extensive anti-riot drills across the city and counselled personnel on how to deal with protesters who record them on their phones and go live at demonstration sites.
On top of that, “This was an important aspect of training in the last two days. There were sessions on how not to get perturbed if protesters start recording them on camera and doing live sessions. All these things are new for any force and are not mentioned in any drill. Many people take advantage of this and try to get police personnel on the ground to react, which gives them more hits. The anti-riot and protest-handling mock drills focused on this too,” an officer shared.
A similar session on how CRPF’s Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were spotted giving interviews and also caught on tape deliberately tripping protesters was flagged in their internal review meeting.
Source: Hindustan Times