Using tear gas dropped from a drone during protests, the Haryana Police creates history.
Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited (DRIISHYA) produced the drones used by the Haryana Police.
Recently, the Haryana Police made headlines when they used drones to launch tear gas canisters during a protest, making them the first police agency in India to do so. Drones were utilized to drop tear gas shells on farmers who were protesting at the Shambhu Barrier, which is situated on the Punjab-Haryana border. This was an innovative deployment. This novel strategy marks a substantial change in crowd management techniques.
Drone Imaging and Information Service of Haryana Limited (DRIISHYA), a public limited corporation founded in 2021, is the manufacturer of the drones used by the Police. These drones were originally intended for applications such as crop monitoring and infrastructure surveying, but they were later modified for crowd control. This modification highlights how adaptable drone technology is in solving different problems.
The official relationship between DRIISHYA and the Haryana government was established in April 2023, signifying a strategic alliance with the goal of utilizing technical innovations for law enforcement. These kinds of projects show a proactive attitude toward improving public safety and updating police techniques.
The Tear Smoke Unit (TSU) of the Border Security Force (BSF) created the tear smoke launcher that is installed on the drones in 2022. Although this technology was available, no state police department had previously purchased it. Haryana’s purchase of this equipment indicates a deliberate attempt to implement cutting-edge methods for upholding law and order.
There are a number of benefits to using tear gas-equipped drones instead of more conventional techniques. The dispersal procedure is expedited by the Haryana Police’s DRISHYAA drone model, which has the capacity to drop many tear gas grenades at once. During crowd control activities, this efficiency reduces the danger of injury and improves operational effectiveness.
In addition to the deployment of tear gas, protesters stated that the Haryana Police had also used rubber bullets and colored smoke canisters. These additional steps show a more comprehensive strategy to crowd management, in which law enforcement uses a range of non-lethal techniques to break up crowds and preserve order.
The use of drones to drop tear gas is a significant improvement in police reaction capability. Law enforcement organizations can improve their ability to handle large-scale protests and demonstrations and adjust to changing problems by incorporating state-of-the-art technology into their operations.