GUWAHATI, June 22 - Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) using �bhot jolokia� of Assam, the chilli grenades have finally made its way to the Assam Police armoury along with several updated versions of tear gas shells. �Bhot jolokia� of Assam was once rated as the hottest chilly in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records.
The Assam Police, as part of its upgrading process, recently doubled the number of non-lethal weapon in its arsenal. Sources at the Assam Police headquarters informed The Assam Tribune that around 30,000 items of different types of non-lethal ammunition, including chilli grenade, have been added to its armoury in the last few months.
�But chilli grenades are currently considered the most effective crowd-control non-lethal weapon in the Indian security domain. It is a non-toxic weapon, which would primarily be used for crowd management and disperse mobs,� sources said, adding that they would be used only in extreme cases.
Along with the chilli grenades, new versions of tear gas shells have also been included in the armoury.
�Chilli grenades are being effectively used by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir to control unruly crowd. We are now in possession of adequate number of non-lethal weapons,� sources said.
�Although, primarily it has been added to our non-lethal armoury to control unruly crowd, it can also be employed to force militants out of their hideouts as and when required,� sources pointed out. Sources further informed that Assam Police is in the process of procuring many more non-lethal types of equipment, including sophisticated Group-Shields, which are manufactured by the best in the business.
Asked if the security forces are anticipating a rise in unruly scenes post the publication of the final NRC list on July 31, a senior official said, �The upgrading is a continuous process. But then, we will have to keep ourselves prepared for any eventuality, be it related to the NRC or anything else.�
