Leading from the front: Senior UP cop has Taser gun tested on him

Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) Javeed Ahmad surprised his colleagues on Sunday by having a Taser gun tested on him.

The Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) Javeed Ahmad on Saturday tested a Taser gun on himself during a demo.

UP police DGP Javeed Ahmad had a Taser gun tested on him during a demo. (Twitter)

A video showing Ahmad testing the Taser gun -- a conducted electrical weapon (CEW) -- on himself was circulated widely on social media, winning accolades from online users.

The video shows the DGP falling on the floor after being immobilised by the CEW, and his colleagues helping him regain consciousness and stand up.

Ahmed said he wanted to experience the impact of the weapon before it was tried on others.

The CEW gives a non-lethal electric shock to the person that paralyses a person temporarily by impacting neuro-muscular capacity. Though the weapon manufacturers claim it is a non-lethal, some experts have said it can be fatal too.

“It is an incapacitant weapon (one used for incapacitation or making a person unable to do anything). It delivers an electric shock aimed at temporarily disrupting muscle functions or causing pain without significantly hurting the person. Such weapons are intended to be non-lethal and are usually much less lethal than firearms,” said an expert, who gave the demo to the DGP.

Explaining its mechanism, inspector general (IG) of police of ATS, Aseem Arun, told HT that a suspect could be targeted with this weapon from a distance of 15 metres and he would be immobilised by two metal probes connected through wires to the electroshock device. The gun provides an opportunity to overpower a suspect before he gains consciousness, he added.

Arun said the state police was planning to purchase at least 15 such weapons, costing about Rs 1.5 lakh each, for the ATS in three months.

Arun and many other senior cops praised the DGP’s courage to test the weapon on himself first. The IPS Association also tweeted: “Kudos to @Uppolice DGP@javeeddgpup for takng electric shock shot on himself during a demo.”