What police use to control violent protests: Inside India's riot-control arsenal

When peaceful protests suddenly turn violent, police forces face the challenge of restoring order while minimising harm to civilians. As demonstrations escalate, law enforcement agencies such as the Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force rely on a range of specialised riot-control equipment designed to disperse crowds, protect personnel and respond to varying levels of threat.

Protective gear first

The first layer of response is defensive. Personnel are equipped with high-impact riot helmets fitted with transparent visors, wire mesh and neck guards to protect against stone-pelting. They also wear lightweight full-body protective gear, including fire-retardant jackets with thick rubber inserts designed to absorb blunt-force impact and offer protection against acid attacks and edged weapons.

Delhi Police personnel are issued riot helmets, polycarbonate shields, traditional canes, gas guns, body protectors known as 'Anjali kits' and cordoning ropes. A recent addition to the arsenal is the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), first deployed during the G20 Summit, which emits high-decibel sound bursts to push crowds away.


"Depending on the rank, the kit may also include lethal backups like pistols, self-loading rifles or AK-47s, though these are strictly meant for extreme threats, not crowd control," said an officer.

Escalation of force

If warnings over public address systems fail, police follow a graduated use-of-force protocol.

The initial response may involve physical pushes using polycarbonate lathis or the deployment of the 'Varun' water cannon, which sprays high-pressure, chilli-infused water to disperse dense crowds.

If the situation worsens, personnel may use tear smoke canisters, stun grenades and pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA) shells, a pepper-based chemical agent that temporarily incapacitates aggressive protesters.

Among the most debated crowd-control tools are 12-gauge pump-action anti-riot guns. Considered a second-to-last resort, these weapons fire non-lethal cartridges containing plastic pellets through ballistic cartridges. Unlike conventional pellet guns that disperse metal shot, anti-riot guns (ARGs) are designed to fire targeted plastic pellet rounds.

Protocols require the weapons to be fired from at least 50 metres away and aimed below the waist. Muzzle deflectors are fitted to help enforce this. Studies have shown that firing at closer distances prevents the pellets from dispersing properly, causing them to strike in a compact cluster and potentially inflict serious injuries. Protesters injured during the July 20 violence sustained injuries above the waist. Sources said the pellets may have been fired without deflectors.

How Western policing differs

Crowd-control strategies in the US and Europe differ significantly.

The use of scatter-shot metal pellets is largely absent, and US police rarely deploy water cannons. Instead, American law enforcement relies on directed-energy devices and single-target kinetic impact projectiles, including 40mm sponge grenades, bean bag shotguns and precision pepper-ball launchers.

While US police also use tear gas and LRADs, their kinetic crowd-control options are designed to avoid the deep-tissue injuries associated with birdshot-style pellet guns. Germany, meanwhile, continues to use water cannons for crowd management, while in the US they have been suggested as an alternative to chemical agents.

Retired police officials argue that better intelligence gathering and surveillance ahead of demonstrations would help prevent anti-social elements from infiltrating peaceful protests.

"While we have upgraded our non-lethal capabilities, the structural realities of managing massive, highly volatile crowds in close quarters require having such tools in the armoury," said a retired senior cop.

(With TOI inputs)