Context
Following reports of a Bihar police constable carrying an AK-47 during a protest, questions have arisen regarding the legal use of sophisticated firearms in crowd-control situations.
Explanation
- ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, while the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issues model guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for police forces.
- The MHA SOPs (2014) permit sophisticated firearms (e.g., AK-47, INSAS, SLR) mainly for VIP security, anti-Naxal operations, counter-terrorism and high-risk security duties, not for routine crowd control.
- Crowd management follows an escalation-of-force principle using negotiation, warnings, barricades, water cannons, tear smoke, batons and non-lethal weapons before considering firearms.
- The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) and State police manuals require minimum necessary and proportionate force, with firearms used only to protect life or prevent imminent serious violence.
- Any misuse of firearms during policing may attract departmental action, criminal liability and judicial scrutiny under constitutional safeguards protecting the right to life (Article 21).
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Use of Force Doctrine in Crowd Control and Policing