NEW DELHI: Even as the protesting farmers struggle to breach the barricades at Shambhu border in Haryana's Ambala, the Delhi Police continues to man the city's northern and western borders. The latest tactic used by the police is to dig big trenches along side the road and deploy Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) to disperse the crowd of farmers if they reach Delhi.
An LRAD, commonly known as a sound cannon, is a specialized loudspeaker that produces sound at high power. The police in various countries have used it as a measure of crowd control. The LRAD was developed by the United States military in the early 2000s.
The device, which creates an irritating noise unbearable for humans, weighs between 6.8 and 150kg and can emit sounds of up to 152 decibels.
The Delhi Police has brought one such machine to the Singhu border, installed it atop a police vehicle. The idea behind using the device, powerful enough to make a person temporarily rattled, is to make them leave the place without the use of violence.
On Tuesday, Haryana Police clashing with farmers led to injuries on both sides, with the police resorting to tear gas and water cannons to disperse the angry protestors. The police in Haryana have been receiving flak from different political parties for the usage of drones for dropping tear gas canisters.
At Singhu border, the police has also dug up trenches on the bylanes and streets to prevent the movement of vehicles and people impossible, further adding to the woes of people coming to Delhi.
A big territorial signage installed at the Delhi-Haryana Singhu border was taken down by JCB machines to ensure that it does not obstruct the way when tear gas shells are fired by security personnel towards the protesting farmers, the police said.
Meanwhile, the commuters are struggling. Santosh Kumar, 33, while speaking to this newspaper, expressed helplessness after he was alighted a kilometre away from the Singhu border.
"The bus dropped us way behind the Singhu border which has been closed by the police. They told us that we have to walk towards the other side to get another mode of transport to Delhi," he said.
Another woman, on her way to Delhi, accompanied by her daughter and husband, said they were facing a lot of problems as their luggage is heavy and they have to walk at least a kilometre to fetch any mode of transport.