Here’s a stunning fact. During a typical lathi charge, it’s the police who get more injured – at least according to the National Crime Records Bureau, whose 2014 statistics have thrown up some interesting data on what happens when the police and protesters clash.
Most of the photographs we see in newspapers depict the story of a ruthless police that wields force, using anything from a lathi to a gun to enforce public order.
Are Protesting Civilians Really The Bigger Victim?
Injuries during lathi charge
As per the NCRB data, in 2014, there were 382 occasions when the police used lathis to control a crowd. 262 civilians were injured, but 47% more policemen were injured – 557.
Deaths during lathi charge
One rioter was killed in 2014 due to lathi charge, whereas two policemen lost their lives after they used the baton on an angry mob. One of these two cops died while defending himself.
Injuries during police firing
In 2014, the police across States and Union Territories opened fire in 176 instances. 104 civilians were injured in the course of police firing, while more than double – 210 policemen were injured each time they opened fire.
Casualties during police firing
However, the number of casualties were higher – 41, as opposed to 16 policemen, who were killed in the line of fire.
Kiran Bedi Explains Why
Speaking to The Quint, former top cop, Kiran Bedi explains why cops appear to have suffered more during crowd-control exercises.
1. External Factor
“Exercise maximum restraint” or “take more, suffer more” – this message, Bedi says is drilled into our policemen. If a civilian is injured or killed in the course of police action, an inquiry is swiftly set up and the personnel on duty are answerable, but the same right is not always accorded to a policeman who is injured or killed in the line of duty.
2. Internal Factor
All of them are not always in the best riot gear. See riot gear of Koreans, Japanese, Chinese or Americans. Every part of the body is covered. We barely have a helmet which is so heavy that they take it off and the riot gear is cumbersome.
3. Wrong Man for the Job
“Those on duty at police stations don’t usually have weapons on them,” says Kiran Bedi. Many-a-times the right force is not deployed to deal with a potentially violent situation and this can lead to an increased number of injuries or casualties on the police side.
4. Media Bias
No cop signs up to get injured or killed, but if something were to happen to him, it is considered to be a “part of the job”. The media tends to highlight the number of civilians who get injured during a lathi charge, but there is no one to speak for the policemen who get hurt or killed while doing their duty. This could be because speaking about the dignity of cops is simply not “populist”.
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