1. Police Tactics in Handling Public Protests in India ARVIND VERMA, INDIANA UNIVERSITY, BLOOMINGTON HANIF QURESHI, UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

2. Individual Rights Vs. the collective good The right to assemble and protest against a government is a basic human right. Universal Human Rights enshrined in the UN Charter through Article 20(1) state “Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association”. (Even if directed against the government) The Constitution of India too through Article 19(1)(b) asserts the same sentiment by proclaiming the right of a citizen to protest peacefully as a fundamental human right.

3. Right to protest against the government 99% VERSUS THE 1% AGITATION WITNESSED LARGE GATHERING IN MANY CITIES. PEOPLE DEMANDING THE OUSTER OF HOSNI MUBARAK IN EGYPT

4. WHAT DO THEY WANT ? Public protests Manifestation of citizen rights, or symbolic of deliberate law violation? are about specific concerns, but no demands that can be met. The Spanish and Greek protests citizens opposed to the economic policies proposed by the their leaders Gave no options that they were willing to accept. The Wall Street movement opposed a few owning a large proportion of the national wealth but offered no plans to change this system. This is common for all protests. The crowd threatens what it does not want but does not articulate any reasonable solution

5. Cincinnati Riots -2001 The Spark Shooting of a black youth by a white police officer. A group of 200 black citizens interrupted the council meeting demanding details of the shooting and immediate accountability Fallout Violence against unarmed citizens. Businesses were looted, storefronts damaged, and small fires were set. The news of the rioting spread quickly. Simultaneous riots broke out throughout Cincinnati suburbs. Police Reaction On the third night of violence, looting, and vandalizing, a city-wide curfew was imposed, which happened to be accompanied by rain, and the riots stopped. Investigation: Sixty-three rioters were indicted on felony charges. No convictions.

6. Unusual Challenges -Ensure citizens the space and opportunity to express their grievances, assemble peacefully and protest. -This creates dangerous situations since crowds become violent. The Balancing Act But many protests last months and offer no possible solution. The police have to play a balancing act. Not to curtail the rights of the citizens and ready to disperse agitators Police generally use barricades to stop the crowd from progressing beyond a designated point THE CHALLENGE FOR POLICE

7. In India such protests have reached an uncontrolled level In 2011 there were 68,500 registered incidents of riots There were 482 occasions in which police had to use deadly fire Police personnelCivilians Killed 97159 Injures 328109 Arrests in 91.5% of cases (78.8% national avg.) Convictions – 21.5% of cases ( 41.1 national avg.) RIOTS IN INDIA

8. Case of HISAR North Indian Steel City, with 1.2 million people POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION Exists for Dalits (lower castes). Despite being dominant and caste demand such reservation in Haryana Government - reluctant to accept. JAT AGITATION - block national highway; indulge in violence Police use force and confrontation leads to deadly use of force, killing one agitator FALLOUT Jats register murder case against police chief Crowd burns 31 vehicles, 7 banks, 3 police outposts Many government buildings burnt Train services and national highway blocked affecting transport in the country

10. TACTICS CROWD TACTICS Crowd tactics :block the road and run away when police arrive only to start agitation in another part 46 places within Hisar where the roads were blocked by the agitators Women, old and infirm people participated so police could not use force against them POLICE RESPONSE Police used tear gas and cane charges Secret negotiations with local leaders Hisar had 2100 police officers, so additional forces (Central Police and later Army) called in The stir ended after sustained efforts by the police, and also agitators wearied out.

11. INVESTIGATION 39 criminal cases under various sections of IPC, Arms Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act were registered. Police form special investigation teams to investigate multiple cases Arrest was difficult DIFFICULTIES Witnesses refuse to come forward so evidence collected on basis of media reports Women, children and old people were there in the protests Protesters came from far away areas, travelling hundreds of miles Politicization of bureaucracy Fear of repeat protests FALLOUT Police on the defensive due to the incident of death in police shooting Similarities with post Cincinnati Riots situation -Organizational Self-destruction

12. CONCLUSION SITUATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION (1) directed at highly specific forms of crime, (2) involves the management of the immediate environment, (3) makes crime more difficult and risky, or less rewarding and excusable. APPLICATION TO MASSIVE CROWD MANAGEMENT Crowds may seem destructive and purposeless, yet there is a rational explanation. Conformity and authority may cause anti-social behavior to be acceptable (McKenzie, 1982). So, isolating leaders may be helpful. UNDERSATNDING THE OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE The 2001 riots of Cincinnati, or Jat agitation of Hisar were an outcome of opportunities. Inability of the police allowed rioters to gather initially, but a coherent response caused the mob to melt. Understanding of the formation of mobs (Lohman, 1947) can help police to develop preventive strategies and stop the destruction of life and property.