New Delhi
Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel equipped with electric shock shields, a hi-tech anti-riot gear, remained the centre of attention for locals on the streets of northeast Delhi’s Seelampur, where around 3,000 security personnel were deployed on Friday.
The police and the RAF personnel were posted on the city streets to avoid a rerun of last week’s violent protests against the Citizenship Amended Act (CAA). Last week, protesters pelted stones and damaged vehicles on the road during a protest against the new law.
Delhi Police officials said it was the first time RAF personnel used electric shock shields while maintaining law and order in the national capital.
An RAF officer deployed in Seelampur, who did not want to be identified, said that the electric shield, commonly known of shock shield, generates a 12 volt electric current and is used to temporarily immobilise violent protesters.
“At the flip of a switch, these shock shields can deliver a non-lethal dose of electric shock to protestors coming in contact with them,” the RAF official at the spot said.
Joint commissioner of police (eastern range) Alok Kumar said that the shock shield is part of the anti-riot gear used by the personnel of RAF, a specialised wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to deal with riot and crowd control situations.
{{/usCountry}}Joint commissioner of police (eastern range) Alok Kumar said that the shock shield is part of the anti-riot gear used by the personnel of RAF, a specialised wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to deal with riot and crowd control situations.
{{/usCountry}}“The shock shield has light electric current. It can be used against agitators turning violent or berserk. They will suffer a light electric shock and get immobilised for a short period,” he said, adding that the shock shields were not used against any protestors on Friday since no violence was reported.