Also, during the anti-rape protests in the capital last December, Delhi Police came under fire for indiscriminately using force on the demonstrators. The courts had pulled up the police for using force.
"Such incidents will now hopefully be prevented," the officer said.
The new batons were first introduced in the Delhi Armed Police battalions and in some key areas in New Delhi that see many protest demonstrations. "They will soon be introduced in all police stations of the city," another police officer told IANS. Delhi has 180 police stations.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police S.B.S. Tyagi, the new batons will mostly be used to control restive and unruly crowds.
"The area around Jantar Mantar and Parliament Street is usually where demonstrations are held. Sometimes they get out of hand and we are forced to resort to a baton charge," Tyagi added.
"We have introduced these new versions in a few of our police stations," he said.
