Police Is Governed By Hard Realities: Delhi Police’s Defensive Offensive Mix Unnerved Charged Farmers

A few years back, Delhi Police was seen crawling to control the situation which was miserably slipped out of their hands leading not only to a major embarrassment but also putting Delhi in an unsecured environment for hours. The then leadership of Delhi Police justified their response as “Maximum Restraint” Even former Police Commissioners and retired IPS officers came on social media in support of Delhi Police.  But that’s not how a resilient, strategic and professional force responds or justifies its failures. Back in 2021, the Delhi Police had everything at their disposal from resources, and manpower to the right Intelligence but only due to a lack of strategic planning and decision-making by the then-former Police Commissioner and few incompetent Special CPs,  Delhi went for a rollercoaster ride. Top sources say that “when you fail, you have only one thing to justify your failure- “We restrained ourselves, that is what Delhi Police did a few years back, instead of preparing for crisis response which was expected as per the intelligence reports placed before Delhi Police Commissioner, almost week ago", a senior officer told. Top sources add that “A strong force does not work on sympathy and emotional quotient, it needs to work considering the hard realities.

Cut to 2024, this time Delhi Police seems to learned the right lessons from its slavish response in 2021.  Everything seemed to have fallen into the right place after three years, from the environment, and threats to charged farmers marching towards Delhi. The only difference was that the Delhi Police had strategically responded and formulated a crisis management plan. Perhaps, the present  Delhi Police leadership had the strategic and operational vision which was almost absent in previous leaderships. A closer look to Delhi Police’s response to the 2024 edition of the Farmer protest suggests that the force had adopted the right blend of Defensive and Offensive strategy. The strategy involved a few discussing elements:

1-Strategic Restraint-  Instead of maximum restraint and surrendering on the ground like last year, a strategic restraint(limited defensive) to not let the situation escalate and at the same time appropriate defensive measures to sustain and control the evolving situation at the borders. 

2-Limited Offensive- Delhi Police’s offensive plans were indeed a success and significantly contributed to defusing the burning momentum of charged farmers.  The strategic use of tear gas and drones did not let the mob consolidate its position or carry out a mobilised attack. Top sources say that “not letting them spread and mobilise and keep them under the nose was one of the key strategies. 

3-The Inter-State Coordination and Training- Advance training to the force for anti-riot response and efficient coordination with bordering states for on-ground coordination and intel gathering had set a strong base for the force.

Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora’s message of holding the ground firm and not hesitating to go offensive if things go dynamic shows that Delhi Police is undergoing strategic churning which will help it to stand firm against future challenges.