Chandigarh: Haryana Police, known for employing rough and ready methods against street protesters, will henceforth refrain from using lathis (sticks), or batons, and rely solely on water cannons and teargas shells.
The department will soon buy at least 20 water cannon trucks and 10 teargas-shell vehicles to be stationed in the state's 20 districts, especially near big industrial areas and probable trouble points, a senior police official said.
The police have also sent a Rs 220-million proposal to the central government for modernisation of the department.
"The new facilities will help us deal with agitations more effectively without sullying our image," the official said.
The image of the state police took a beating when television news channels showed live images of their officials caning agitating workers of the Honda automobile company in Gurgaon in July 2005.
TV channels also showed the police using violence on striking workers of the Liberty shoe company at the National Highway no. 1 near Karnal last month, leaving over 60 injured.
Following the Gurgaon incident, the Haryana government came out with new industrial and labour policies to assure industrialists that the state would strive to be agitation-free.
Haryana has been trying to attract industrial investment in nearly 50 special economic zones (SEZs) and other industrial areas.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.