A drone flies over vineyards. Police in a northern Indian city said
Tuesday they have a new weapon for controlling unruly protesters in the
world’s largest democracy: pepper-spraying drones. PHOTO | FILE
NEW DELHI,
Police in a
northern Indian city said Tuesday they have a new weapon for controlling
unruly protesters in the world’s largest democracy: pepper-spraying
drones.
Yashasvi Yadav, police chief
of Lucknow, said his officers have successfully test-flown the newly
purchased drones with a view to better crowd control.
“The
results were brilliant. We have managed to work out how to use it to
precisely target the mob in winds and congested areas,” Yadav told AFP.
“Pepper is non-lethal but very effective in mob control. We can spray from different heights to have maximum results,” he said.
The
city’s police force has bought five drones, costing about Sh880,000
(600,000 rupees, $9,600) each, with their introduction planned for later
this month, he said.
The unmanned
drones are equipped with high-resolution cameras. They can carry two
kilograms (4.4 pounds) of pepper and fly within a one-kilometre radius
of their operator.
Lucknow police
have previously used drones for aerial surveillance including during
religious festivals in the city, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.
The
nation of 1.2 billion people sees daily peaceful protests on a range of
issues, but also frequently violent ones that can escalate out of
control.
Lucknow has a population of two million, making it India’s eighth most populous city.
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