As the Delhi Police prepares to stop protesting farmers from entering the national capital, a senior officer Tuesday directed personnel on ground that they "need not be defensive" if the agitators show aggression.
Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ravindra Yadav, who visited the fortified Singhu border this evening, told police personnel and paramilitary jawans deployed there that if the farmers manage to enter Delhi "our whole operation will fail".
He told the forces they need to act "logically" and by keeping their safety in mind.
"If they are coming aggressively, we have to show more aggression. Then only we can stop them. If they are aggressive, we need not be defensive," he told them using a microphone and loudspeaker.
"We have to fire tear gas shells, use lathis (baton) and save ourselves," the senior officer said. "This process may keep running for a day."
The main objective of the police is to stop the farmers from entering Delhi, Yadav said, adding they cannot be allowed to disturb law and order or indulge in violence.
Several farmer associations, mostly from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, had called for a protest on February 13 to demand a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price for crops. Some of them are marching towards Delhi as [arty of their 'Dilli Chalo' agitation.
The Delhi Police has imposed section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in the entire city and completely secured its borders. Surveillance equipment such as drones and CCTV cameras are being utilised to monitor the border areas.
Yadav said if the farmers get to understand that they will not be able to enter Delhi they will sit near the barricades.
"We do not have any problem with them sitting on the barricades. It is a policy matter and the government will decide till when they could sit here," he told the personnel.
Yadav also said the Deputy Commissioners of Police, commandants and inspectors should form teams that should have well-defined roles.
"We need to be united and no jawan should leave the team he is part of at the time of action. We need not leave any weak point because if they get any space they will manage to enter Delhi on their tractors and then our whole operation will fail," he added.
He also said if the team on the front gets tired they can go back and other groups can take charge. One more team should be prepared with the logistics, he said.
(Except for the headline, this story, from a syndicated feed, has not been edited by Odishatv.in staff)