Standing at five feet eleven inches tall with an excess weight of seven kilos apart from their body weight, Delhi Police officers, with armour shields from head to toe, were the first to be seen standing at the sight of protest to contain any form of violence as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters reached the Parliament Street.
Delhi police's Deputy Commissioner of police (DCP) Reserve Force is a part of all the districts in Delhi police and is generally used in times of need. The reserve force which is generally considered as a neglected force is different in New Delhi district area with proper criteria of selection. In the New Delhi district, the DCP Reserve Force has been recently transformed and officers who are younger, fitter and proactive have been inducted in it to make sure the forces at its best utilised people between the age group of 30-35 are the ones selected to be a part of it.
The black armour-like shields attached to their body from elbows to knees to helmets to shinguards are way around seven kg in weight --- the lightest possible anti-riot gear that was picked up by the district police. It looks easy from appearance but it is much tougher to move around wearing them at a protest site. At the protest sight on Sunday, the mere look of them served as a deterrent to several protesters.
"The idea was to have a ready force in the DCP Reserved which could be moved anywhere within a short period of time. This also cuts down the response time as they all live together in the barracks. We now have a younger/ fitter combat team", said Madhur Verma, DCP, New Delhi district.
Generally, in other districts, the Reserve Force comprises four to five persons picked up from various police stations and sent in times of need. However, here they all have been handpicked and will continue to be a part of Reserve Force for a minimum period of six months. From being a neglected lot they are a pampered unit in the area.
A senior police official said that they all live together and work in shifts so that everyone gets equal time off and on work.
AAP RETORTS
- The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reacted sharply to the press conference held by IAS officers in the national Capital on Sunday, again putting the spotlight on the strained ties between the executive and the legislator. AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj minced no words in casting aspersions at the bureaucrats for holding a media interaction against the Delhi government, something he felt was a novelty democracy
- The Greater Kailash MLA claimed that in a rare display of subservience, the executive was defending the Centre at such events. “I do not recall any incident where babus have gone to the media against any state or central government. They have, however, targeted AAP,” he said. Maintaining his government’s stance that they were not willing to work for the city, the AAP leader also challenged the bureaucrats’ code of conduct for their brazen attitude.
