Kolkata, The West Bengal government has initiated a comprehensive overhaul of Kolkata Police’s riot-control and law-and-order equipment, with plans to procure gear matching the standards used by Delhi Police, CRPF and other central armed police forces, a senior official said on Friday.
The move comes days after eight police personnel, including officers, were injured in stone-pelting during a gathering in the Park Circus area on May 18.
The issue was raised again during Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s first visit to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar on May 26, where he held a meeting with senior police officers.
“The force must have the best equipment available for handling riots and maintaining law and order. Kolkata Police should be equipped with gear comparable to that used by Delhi Police, CRPF and other central armed police forces,” a senior official quoted the chief minister as saying during the meeting.
Following the directive, an order was issued in the name of the Kolkata Police Commissioner on May 27, constituting a five-member committee to review the force’s existing equipment and recommend upgrades.
The committee, headed by Joint Commissioner Nilanjan Biswas, includes Deputy Commissioner of the 6th Battalion of Kolkata Armed Police Debasish Das and three other officers.
The panel has been tasked with examining the helmets, batons, shields, body protectors, non-lethal weapons, tear-gas systems, rubber bullets, dye markers, water cannons, Vajra anti-riot vehicles and other crowd-control equipment used by Delhi Police, CRPF and other central forces.
Officials said the committee will compare those items with the equipment currently in use by Kolkata Police and submit a detailed report within 15 days.
Based on the findings, Lalbazar will take further steps, including the procurement of new equipment through the e-tendering process.
The state government has conveyed that there should be no compromise on quality while purchasing the upgraded gear, he said.
A senior Lalbazar officer said the force’s existing equipment was not inadequate but acknowledged the need for improvement.
“The riot-control equipment currently available to us is not of poor quality. However, we are now looking at acquiring the same standard of equipment used by the Delhi Police, CRPF and other central armed police forces. There is a particular need for better helmets, shields, body protectors and tear-gas systems,” the officer said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
