Kerala: Police lathi blows will aim at limbs and not heads

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Police personnel in the state have been for decades whacking people about the head and other vital body parts with lathis to disperse a protesting or rioting mob.


The barbaric method, which is not in tune with basic human rights concepts, is set to be abandoned by the state police.

A new protocol for lathicharge which will direct police to target the limbs of the agitating public with an intention only to temporarily incapacitate them would be put in place.

Police personnel are currently being trained in batches under the new riot-control drill, which will be completed by the next year.

The training began after the general elections and is currently being provided to a batch of 30 for two weeks.

The present lathi drill, which is being practised on the public by the police, was devised by the British police in 1931 for suppressing the freedom movement. It teaches the police to attack the agitators on head, neck, face and abdomen, causing heavy casualties.

“The new drill will give due respect to all human rights laws of the country. Every district is providing training to the police in the new lathi and mob drill,” state police chief Loknath Behera. The new drill protocol suggests police to target hands and legs of agitators and not other body parts.

The new drill has been devised by the police in the wake of a huge number of casualties being reported among agitators as well as police personnel during protests.

According to the new protocol, specific tactics would be adopted to arrest leaders and the mob. The new practical and realistic drill is designed in such a way that it can be practised on any surface, including road junctions, open places or narrow streets.

In the latest instance of police resorting to use of lathis, cops charged at a group of CPI protesters marching to the DIG office in Kochi leaving several injured, including ruling front MLA Eldho Abraham, stirring up criticism against the police even among the ruling parties.

Along with the training to use lathis, the police are also getting trained in the new handgun drill, which also was being followed as per the archaic practice introduced by the British East India Company, when sword was the main weapon. In a sea change, the holster would be mounted on the more dominant right side instead of left so that policemen could swiftly draw the gun in case of a necessity.