NEW DELHI: The chief of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) has pulled up personnel and field commanders over the alleged use of excessive force during protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after videos circulating on social media showed personnel “deliberately knocking down” protesters and assaulting individuals who were no longer part of the agitation, sources said.
During a virtual review meeting on Wednesday, the top leadership of the RAF told officers and personnel that the force used during the July 20 protest did not conform to the RAF’s prescribed crowd-control protocols and stressed that force must always be applied in a graded and proportionate manner, the sources said.
The personnel were also directed that the Projectile Attack Gun (PAG), Anti-Riot Gun (ARG), electric shock weapons and electric shields will not be used or issued to the forces deployed in the national capital until further orders, they said.
The review came amid mounting criticism of the security forces’ handling of the “Sansad Chalo” march on Monday, with allegations that protesters were subjected to disproportionate force, including the use of pellet guns. Authorities have so far denied using pellet guns.
According to the sources, during the review meeting it was also concluded that the level of force employed at Jantar Mantar “did not align with prescribed standards or the RAF’s training protocols” and instructed all personnel to strictly follow the force’s “Use of Force” guidelines after assessing the nature of the crowd and the prevailing situation.
Directions have been issued to commanders to reinforce that crowd-control measures - including lathi-charge, tear gas and other approved methods - must be used only in a graduated manner and only when warranted by the circumstances, ensuring that no unnecessary or disproportionate force is employed, the sources said.
They said the RAF leadership also referred to videos on social media showing the force’s personnel pushing down individuals, who had become separated from the crowd and striking people attempting to move past barricades.
The meeting also reviewed operational planning during July 20 deployment, as the sources said, the RAF sector headquarters did not receive detailed information on the operational strength and deployment of individual companies that day. The CRPF had deployed 14 RAF companies during the protest and has since reinforced security in Delhi by airlifting more than a dozen additional companies.
