Maintenance of Public Peace

and Order

Part I - Crowd
Crowd
Assembly of large number of people
In one place
In close proximity
Whose attention is drawn in the same
direction
Or is directed at a common object
With a tendency to develop psychological
interaction
Crowd Psychology

It is the study and phenomenon of the collective behaviour
of human beings when gathered in a mass
A member of a crowd thinks, acts and behaves in a manner
different from what he would do when in isolation
Members by reason of anonymity or number shake off
inhibitions, fear of social disapproval and of consequences
Members by the sheer number feel more powerful
With the fear of consequences removed by anonymity or
number in a crowd, the leader can easily stimulate and
arouse anger in an individual
Members become extremely responsive to emotions of a
leader or to an event which promises to be exciting
Crowd Psychology
Excitement is contagious and soon spreads to the entire crowd
rousing it to mass euphoria emotional spiral
Each starts to imitate other
Crowd becomes impulsive, thoughtless, irritant, intolerant and
authoritative
Any act that adds to this tension say even a tactless act of a
police officer can throw the entire crowd in a desperate frenzy,
regardless of any injury that may occur to anyone
Mob seeks an outlet for its excitement. Many a times, all it
wants at that moment is destruction
Crowd psychology also works on the police force, but it has to
learn to extricate itself from these deviations, hence training in
drill, attitude building, stress management and psychology
If violence persists even after the initial sporadic outburst,then
it can safely be assumed to be motivated

Characteristics
Heightened emotions
Open to suggestions and actions from within the
crowd without any criticism
Tends to accept commands of the leader without
questioning
Removal of restraint, sense of irresponsibility and
loss of inhibitions
The collective mind is free from moral compulsions
Members feel powerful by their sheer number and
anonymity
Relatively lower level of intelligence in a crowd than
in the individuals forming the crowd
Types of crowd
Casual crowd at a scene of traffic accident or fire,
crowd at a fair

Conventional crowd sports audience, Republic Day
parade audience

Expressive crowd Holi or New Years Eve
merrymakers

Aggressive crowd political, communal, labour
demonstrations
Recap
Have understood
What types of problems await you
What is crowd
What is crowd psychology
Types of crowd
Part IIA - Assemblies
Basic Rights
Of the crowd to speak freely, assemble and
demonstrate peacefully

Of the non-demonstrators to privacy and free
movement

Of demonstrators and non-demonstrators,
including the executive and police, to be free
of violence to person and property
Permitted or not?
Picketing during Civil Disobedience Movement

Chakka jam

Raising slogans against you outside your office

Gherao

Burning effigy (?)
Part IIB Legal issues of
MPPO
A Quick Run Through
&
Recap
Unlawful Assembly
-Sec 141 IPC
An assembly of five or more persons
Whose common object is:
To overawe by criminal force
Central Government, State Government, Legislature or any public
servant in the exercise of lawful power
To restrict the execution of law or legal process
To commit mischief, criminal trespass or any other offence
By criminal force
To take or obtain possession of any property or
To deprive any person of any incorporeal right or
To enforce any right or supposed right
By criminal force to compel any person
To do what he is not legally bound to do or
To omit what he is legally entitled to do
All members should be aware of the common object and concur
with it
Riot
-Sec 146 IPC
Whenever force or violence is used
By an unlawful assembly
In prosecution of a common object
Violence is the discriminating issue
quantum of violence is one which will alarm
at least one person of reasonable courage
Sec 146/147 Simple riot
Sec 148 Riot with deadly weapons
Instances of use
Assembly stopping a revenue official from taking
possession of land he is entitled to do

Assembly breaking into a godown

Assembly thwarting pulling down of encroachments
after all legal formalities have been completed
How do you regulate these?
A Moharram procession

Hindus wanting to hold an Akhand
Paath in the open

Two disparate parties want to take out
processions on the same day
Sec 30 Indian Police Act 1861
Power of SP/ASP to direct/regulate
processions/assemblies

Organisers to obtain a license stating terms,
conditions and restrictions, if in SP/ASPs opinion, if
they were left unregulated would lead to breach of
peace

Assembly violating terms and conditions of licenses
under Sec 30 of the Indian Police Act, 1861 and
refuses to disperse on command becomes an
unlawful assembly
How do you do this?
Punitive arrest before festivals, etc
151 CrPC
Sec 151 CrPC power to arrest any person,
without warrant, if the police officer knows of
a design by such a person to commit a
cognizable offence and the commission of the
offence cannot otherwise be prevented

Can be kept in custody for not more than 24
hours unless otherwise required under some
law
151 CrPC
Two groups are about to clash

Gandhiji in Champaran

Court arrest
How do you ensure that a person
keeps peace?
107/116 CrPC
When an Executive Magistrate receives information
that any person
Is likely to commit a breach of peace, or disturb tranquility,
etc
And is of the opinion that sufficient grounds exist to proceed
He may require the person to show cause why he should not
be ordered to execute a bond, with or without sureties, for
keeping peace for such period not exceeding one year

Jurisdiction: person likely to commit breach in AOR or
lives in AOR
107/116 CrPC
Sec 113 CrPC: Issue of summons/warrant if there are
reasons to believe that he will not attend court on
service of summons

Sec 116(3) CrPC
Interim bond
In custody until the bond is executed
Forfieture on violation

Sec 111 CrPC: The Magistrate can ask for the
sureties to be of a certain nature, class and character
107/116 CrPC
Faction feuds

Binding down before elections, festivals

Domestic violence

Non Cognizable cases
Misuse of 107/116 CrPC
Seemingly innocuous

Same number of accused from both the
parties
Old people, college going children, women
Rich vs poor getting to court, hiring
lawyer
How is the Election Code of
Conduct enforced?
144 CrPC
144 CrPC
When it appears to a Magistrate that
Immediate prevention of a public nuisance or
Speedy remedy of an apprehended danger is desirable

He may issue a written order, stating the material
facts of the case

And be served as summons (on person or
proclamation and sticking at a prominent place)
144 CrPC
It will direct a person or group of persons to
Abstain from certain act or
Take certain order in respect to certain property in his
possession or management

IN ORDER TO PREVENT
Obstruction, annoyance or injury to any person lawfully
employed;
Danger to human health, life or safety;
Disturbance to public tranquillity or riot or affray
144 CrPC
In case of emergency the order can be passed ex
parte

Holds good for 2 months, extendable till 6 months by
the State Government

The Magistrate allows the applicant an early
opportunity to show cause against the order

On non-compliance can arrest under Sec 188 IPC,
apart from other sections, if any other law of the land
is violated
144 CrPC
Curfew

To stop use of plastic bags

Burning effigy right vs public order
Administrative prudence
Apprehension of Cabinet Minister creating
trouble during the day of elections
Options
107/116 CrP
151 CrPC
144 CrPC
Timing of service of order?
How do you enforce it?
Solve this problem
Fast unto death. The apprehension is that if the
faster dies, it would trigger off violent demonstrations

Options:
151 CrPC
107/116 CrPC
144 CrPC

Timing of service of the order?
How do you serve it?
How do you enforce it?
145 CrPC
Procedure where dispute concerning actual
possession of land or water, which even
includes buildings, markets, fisheries, crops
or other produce of land, and the rent and
profit of any such property

Is likely to cause breach of peace
145 CrPC
Both parties are summoned by the Magistrate to put forth their
respective claims in writing

He can also take any further evidence or direct any Magistrate
subordinate to him to enquire (Sec 148 CrPC)

Magistrate, on finding which of the parties was in possession of
the subject in dispute, shall declare the party to be entitled to
such possession and restores it too

He decides on the issue of possession and not the title
145 CrPC
It even includes wrongful dispossession within a period of 2
months

For perishable items, Magistrate can order them to be sold and
the sale proceeds then are given to the person concerned
Sec 146 CrPC
Attachment of property and appointment of
receiver when
Magistrate considers the case as one of
emergency or
Magistrate cannot decide the actual possession or
Feels that none of the parties was in actual
possession

Word of caution: Who is the receiver?
Instances of use
Ayodhya issue

Each of the two groups claim ownership of
ripe standing crop

House grabbing
Part IIC - Exercises
Legality of action?
As an SDM, you give license to regulate a
procession. The terms and conditions of that
states that they will not enter a particular
street
On the day of the procession, some of the
people in the procession try and push the
procession into the lane
Can you use force immediately?

Legality of action?
The communal situation in a city is very tense
A Ramlala procession is being taken out through a
Muslim locality
Suddenly riot breaks out
The DM and SP decide to impose curfew immediately
Instructions are passed on the RT set to all mobiles
to announce on loudspeakers imposition of curfew
under 144 CrPC
Subsequent to this announcement of curfew orders,
can action taken for violation of these orders be
justified in any enquiry?
Problems
Person threatens to self-immolate himself

You have to ensure that no pigs come out
on the day of Id on the streets

Contractor is threatening engineers and
they are not willing to lodge a complaint

Restraining the owner of a dog that bites
people

Problems
Shiv Sena activists will prevent celebration on
Valentive Day

Two communities fighting over a piece of land,
each claiming it to be theirs

A licensed butcher slaughters animals in the open
in front of his shop in a Hindu locality, leading to
public outcry
Problems
Assembly trying to open a canal gate forcibly which
they think is legitimately correct

Two political parties want to hold public meetings
at adjoining places

Removing protesters from India Gate in Rang De
Basanti or Baba Ramdev from Ramlila Maidan



Problems
Preventive arrests of people wanting to congregate
for reasons like Ayodhya
Part IIIA Crowd Dispersal

Powers against Assemblies

Sec 129 CrPC
Empowers a magistrate or a police officer in charge of a
police station, or in his absence an officer not below the
rank of a SI,

to command an unlawful assembly or an assembly of 5 or
more likely to cause disturbance of public peace

to disperse

and to use force if it does not heed to order to disperse or
without being commanded to disperse, it conducts itself in a
way to show determination not to disperse
Principles of use of force
No more harm can be caused to the wrong doer than
is absolutely necessary to deter from acts of
rowdyism hence gradation of use of force TSM,
lathi, water cannon, rubber bullets, live fire

Action must not be punitive

It must stop immediately once the objective of
dispersal is accomplished
Part III A Crowd dispersal
Methodology of crowd control
Conduct of Admn should be fair and appropriate

Nip the issue in the bud before it becomes a law and order
problem
Importance of homework and addressing issues beforehand

Talk to all parties, mediation, preventive actions, etc
Instances of other departments not working, creating a law and
order problem try to sort out issues in consultation with relevant
departments
Irrigation department not opening canals
Forest department not giving pattas

Methodology of crowd control
For spontaneous or announced crowds, you need to
collect intelligence
Place
Time
Number of people
Leader
Intention
Nature of demonstration
Potentiality of violence arms, etc
Previous conduct
Methodology of crowd control
Decision
Sometimes inaction is a decision and it should be well
communicated to all, eg, PD Tandon Park removal of banner
from an election vehicle

Communication to all subordinate staff
Methodology of crowd control
Dont let the crowd collect
Remove irritants
Body/injured from accident site
Cremation of a victim of police firing
Ayodhya shouldnt have allowed crowd to assemble

Quick dispersal before it swells

Identify leaders use persuasion, counselling and
mediation
General Methodology of crowd
control
Use creative methods

Use psychological methods

General Methodology of crowd
control
Isolate crowd

Use tactical pressure

Use of force- remember to provide an escape route
and treat all fairly and impartially
Use of force
What to expect from the crowd
Abuses
Slogan shouting
Noise
Brickbats
Petrol bombs
Weapons
Looting
Damage to vehicles, property, shops
PARTIES
Intelligence party
Civil police party
Mounted police party
Water Canon party
Gas party
Lathi party
Firing party
First aid and warning party
Reserve party
INTELLIGENCE PARTY
Leader
Objective
Strength of crowd
Attitude of crowd and their motivation
Weapons, lathis, brickbats, etc
Also helps in mediation
CIVIL POLICE PARTY
To solve the situation amicably
Creative methods
Psychological methods
MOUNTED POLICE PARTY
Good psychological show of force and
determination
Can be used better for pursuit and area
domination
Not effective on aggressive crowd
Dont go with an easily excitable horse;
hence train MP horses for police work
WATER CANON PARTY
Effective and non-lethal
Option to use fire brigade
Can use cold water in winter
GAS PARTY
Gas guns, munitions (shells, grenades, dye markers,
stun munitions, stinger grenade, rubber batons),
mask/respirators
Strength 1-4
Vajra are anti-riot vehicles with TS launchers
Brief
Make use of met conditions
Do not use TSM near vulnerable places like hospitals and
schools
Check equipment and expiry dates
Well trained and work on command
LATHI PARTY
Protective gear and shields
Brief: Lathi charge to be done only to
disperse, not to chase
Dont hit to break bones hit below the
waist
Effective use of force
Determined under a firm leader
Always maintain formation, buddy pairs
LATHI PARTY
Movement as a unit
Unit should be trained to respond to
commands of whistle
Officer in command should be behind the
front line
Formation should be such that no member of
the crowd can get to its rear
When required to retreat, do so slowly and in
formation with the face towards the crowd
Not advisable to commit a small formation
too deeply into the crowd
FIRING PARTY
Check all weapons and ensure that they are
unloaded
Specify no. of ammo; also rubber bullets
Leader exercises full control over the men
Only specified persons with rifles
Brief: To fire only on order; Strict FCO
Fire below the waist on a specified target
Dont fire in panic
Riflemen should know how to accompany first
aid party
FIRST AID & WARNING
PARTY
Stretcher/ cane shield
Trained medics
Escorted by firing party element
Warning flag
RESERVE PARTY
For additional reinforcement
Area domination and patrolling
Roof top duties
Use it for arrest
Reserves should be able to supplement
the unit as and when the demand arises
support, arrest, evacuating injured
persons

COMMANDER
Main weapon is determination
Loud hailer
Keep cameraman close

DRILL
Collect intelligence

Use mediation

Declare assembly unlawful and order it to
disperse on likelihood of disturbance of peace

Simultaneous show of force (debussing,
preparation)
DRILL
Tactical pressure

Water canon

Gas smoke the area

Lathi effective, dont enter the crowd,
ensure no men is left behind

DRILL
Rubber bullets

Warning followed by firing
Written order of the Magistrate to open fire
Specify target and number of rounds
Fire at the most threatening part of the crowd
Wait after first and second shot to see effect
Never fire at running crowd
Once firing stops then the chamber of the
weapons to be emptied and commander to
personally check them

DRILL
First aid

Regroup, Pursuit and Area domination
While using force, remember..
Give crowd an escape route to
disperse
Dont create panic
MOST IMPORTANT
TRAIN, TRAIN AND TRAIN
Men need to be attitudinally trained to
restrain themselves
Men need to be made strong enough to
withstand attempts to overawe
Men need to know the appropriate use of
force, the correct drill and formations
Men need the right anti-riot gear

YOU FORGET THIS AT YOUR PERIL
Action when you reach a spot
and crowd is already violent
Draw attention: use sirens, tear smkoe, stuns and
rubber bullets

Till such time prepare lathi party, use it if possible

If violence continues to be unabated, then use live
bullets after warning no undue delay (however
proper appreciation and used as last resort)

Position men in such a way so that the rioters
dont receive reinforcements
Action when you reach a spot
and crowd is already violent
Against roof top brick-batting, use tear smoke,
else fire, if roof top domination not possible
immediately

Make immediate arrangement for fire brigade, first
aid and reinforcement at the hospital

Regroup, dominate and patrol

First aid

Arrest and Search

After this arent we forgetting
the most important work?
WRITTEN WORK
PTR
Firm and bold not for weak-kneed;
separates men from boys
Predictable
Support your men
Extensive use of non-lethal weapons
concurrently
Image
Camera (eg Shahjahanpur Holi)
Always carry kit in your vehicle

Whatever the provocation, I
appeal to you to remain calm
A policeman who loses his
temper ceases to be a
policeman
Part III B Play riot games


Visualise yourself in each L/O situation you read about
daily and plan your response
Sudden attack on a PS while
talking over an issue
Collect policemen at strategic places
Limited number of men with fire arms
Prepare with anti-riot gear
Be ready with TSM and rubber bullets
Photo/video party
Protect the armoury and office records
Warn; Use stun grenade (attention seeking and
caution); use lathis if possible; use TSM;
Threatening stance of firing party
Use rubber bullets; Fire
Disperse and then dominate
Video film all
More riot games
Chakka jam over an issue where the local
police is a party; they have the dead body
also kept on the road
A festival procession turns violent due to
incitement
A Muslim procession starts to do maatam in
front of a Hindu temple on Tuesday at the
time of arti . It seems that the situation may
turn violent
A mob of students affiliated to a political
party enter the High Court premises trying to
forcibly close it
Part IV Summing up
Broad principles in maintaining
L/O
Credibility of administration fair, trustworthy and
impartial
Gonda NSA against Muslims but arrest of Hindus
subsequently led to easy handling of communal issues

No tolerance to small acts of lawlessness
NYPD experiment on graffiti - Bratton
Broken windows of Keilling
Elections
Letting the parties put their banners across the road
Allowing only a required number of vehicles in a convoy during
campaign
Broad principles in maintaining
L/O
Indivisibility of peace
Eve teasing where different communities are involved
Stabbing between drunkards of different communities before a
liquor shop which opens much beyond prescribed time

Certainty of action
British DM of UAO posted to KNR

No substitute for action law and order cannot be
maintained with kid gloves
Broad principles in maintaining
L/O
Restoration of order by legal methods alone basis of
strength, not lathis
Restrain in the face of grave provocation is a daily exercise a
law and order officer must undergo to acquire good control
over his nerves
Ensures that you are not in a shaky/loose ground eg beating
in custody you will be able to speak from a platform of
strength

The law enforcing agencies should check what law
has been broken and restore the rule of law; there
should be no tendency to teach a lesson
else great tragedies happen like Jallianwala Bagh on April 13
th
1919
in Amritsar 1600 rounds fired and 379 killed, 1200 injured
Broad principles in maintaining
L/O
Enforce rule of law it becomes a bargaining point
and a threat to behave or else face consequences
Register cases in
Chakka Jam
Forcible collection of donations during festivals
Unlawful assemblies
Lot of strength in law

An action plan duly communicated to all police and
public- with a will to implement it, is the strongest
deterrent in crowd control and for best police action
Support your men be truthful never loose their faith eg
VNS Chaubepur chakka jam
Personal Leadership
Broad principles in maintaining
L/O
Life of innocents is more valuable than lives of
goondas

No withdrawal of cases for extraneous reasons

No administrative interference
Loose impartiality
You are the best judge
Broad principles in maintaining
L/O
DM and SP relationship

rr rr +rr r|r+, +r-rrr +rr,
|r=r rr -r |r=r r-r -r rr,
-rr|r+ +| rr +r-rrr +rr,
r| rrr ir|r+-r -r rr !
Creative Methods of crowd
control
Agra Moharram taziya and peepal tree

VNS Moharram taziya stops

Khajuri burial ground dispute
Back
Psychological Method of crowd
control
Persuasive appeals
Seemingly agree with the emotions of the crowd vis-
-vis reasoning it out with them
Mark Anthony
DM VNS Charles Hardings in 1806 in Sati case
Arrest of Muslim in cow slaughter when Hindus were
immensely agitated arrest is a pretence and custody
preventive
Psychological Method of crowd
control
Appeal to reason You are men of understanding
and intelligence imagine yourself in lock ups with
small cheats

To GOD in Unnao liquor killing I am afraid of God

Respond to community, regional characteristics
Srinagar incident SDM and SO were locals to receive the
body; no PAC
Psychological Method of crowd
control
Humorous and witty remarks

Little service to people
Giving water to children, women and old people

Assistance by community leaders hence
have a good relationship with them

Psychological Method of crowd
control
Calm and silent attitude of LEA it has a
calming effect on the crowd too; Your
excitement can be contagious to the crowd
PWL Commissioner

Use of video and still camera
SHA Holi

Psychological Method of crowd
control
Writing of complaints by excited people

Making the crowd wait
Chakka Jam in noontime
However, supplement it with show of force

Pretence of including onlookers in
investigation
Psychological Method of crowd
control
Kali ka Roop show of force and
determination
Gonda two constables

Ask for help in investigation
Unnao burglary in Sharafa - use of dog




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