Farmers protesting in India this week are using a homemade arsenal to counter the state-of-the-art weaponry of the security forces trying to disperse them: they’re flying kites to ensnare police drones carrying tear gas canisters.
Two days ago, authorities broke up a group of farmers who were marching to the capital to demand that the government give them more money for their crops. The farmers, who were around 200 kilometers north of Delhi, were engaged in fierce battles with security forces.
Government leaders and farmers union representatives met on Thursday in an attempt to find a solution.
In addition to other farm equipment, the farmers’ tractors and trucks were employed as a deterrent to the police operation. Tear gas canisters were contained in jute vegetable sacks that were saturated in water, and blowers were utilized to release the odors.
The farmers can shoot the drones with flare guns and slingshots in addition to their kites.
“The Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Group, one of the farm unions spearheading the march, has a large number of veterans from the army, police, or other forces who are offering ideas on how to minimize damage,” stated Sarvan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the organization.
After they retire, a lot of servicemen in the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana start farming to support themselves.
Protester Karampal Singh, 23, claimed that farmers were being “forced” to behave in this manner by the police. He answered, “Let people do what they want; we’ll figure something out.”
The cops are likewise employing creative strategies of their own.
Along with the customary sandbags and barbed wire, the local media said that police had also dug up sections of the road leading to the capital or driven nails into some areas to prevent any vehicles from approaching. This was the first occasion that security personnel had employed drones to release tear gas canisters.
According to the Indian Today news website, police have also been employing equipment that produce high-pitched sounds to dissuade the demonstrators. They have also stocked up on lubricant to keep the roads slick in case the farmers attempt to advance on horseback.
The farmers must go through the state of Haryana to get to Delhi, and the police there claim that “comprehensive” procedures have been taken to uphold the law.
Senior police officer Manisha Chaudhary stated, “CCTVs and drones are additionally employed to assist police keep an eye on unruly elements and miscreants.”
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
