How India polices demonstrations: rules, data, tactics

In the past few months, civilian protests across India have been increasingly met with police intervention – and allegations of excessive force have taken centre stage.

Protests in July and October, mostly those organised by the ‘cockroach’ youth movement (CJP), have triggered reactions from international bodies such as the United Nations for mass detentions and Amnesty International for excessive force.

Petitions have already been filed in the Supreme Court over the October protests, alleging mass detentions and excessive force. In July, a proceeding led to a committee being formed to examine the use of force during the student protests.

Reuters examined the guidelines and recent protest data to explore where these possible excesses against demonstrators are happening and why. Delhi Police and the Ministry of Home Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment on policing protocols and alleged instances of violence against protesters.

While Delhi remains the central hub for CJP’s major demonstrations this year, total protests there fell to 364 from 543 in 2016.

The sharpest rise occurred in Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh states, with Telangana surging from 98 demonstrations in 2016 to over 1,324 in 2026.

Demonstrations in India have risen significantly, growing from 10,642 in 2016 to over 18,629 till October 2, 2026, after peaking at 22,130 in 2024, according to ACLED. 

This surge has brought increased police intervention, with over 200 demonstrations met with force in August 2026, a decade high for any single month.

Such scenes have become a frequent backdrop to rising public dissent across the country.

Police can only intervene if public order is threatened. Most want freedom to use force without consequence.

Although Indian law constitutionally protects the right to assembly, a report authored by human rights lawyer Vrinda Grover for International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) finds this protection often fails in practice.

Ultimately, the decision to intervene rests with executive magistrates or police.

A majority of surveyed officers believe they should be allowed to use force without fear of punishment, according to the Status of Policing in India Report 2025. Delhi Police and the Home Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comments.

Policing is a state subject

While each state handles their own policing, the central government can deploy paramilitary troops dedicated to ensuring internal security, if they need additional support.

Guidelines suggest agencies used for dispersing unlawful assembly must wear prescribed uniforms and anti-riot gear to reduce civilian casualties due to panicked reactions, and to avoid security forces from being injured.

Paramilitary forces can provide additional support, such as the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF), a specialized swift-response unit under the CRPF identifiable by their blue camouflage uniforms.

Border guarding forces such as Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) were deployed during recent protests in New Delhi.

A measured approach from less lethal to harsher tactics, according to the guidelines

Once an intervention is decided, Indian policing rules require a phased approach: persuasion and warnings before force. If necessary, only minimum force should be used and stopped once order is restored. Those refusing to disperse may be legally detained. Reuters was unable to verify with police how closely these guidelines are followed.

The UN guidelines on the principle of necessity and minimum force is reflected in the Code of Conduct for police in India published in 1985. These principles are also echoed in the standard operating procedures to deal with public agitations with non-lethal measures recommended in 2011, and in the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPRD) report published in 2016.

Breaching barricades allows police to act under certain circumstances, such as under prohibitory orders.

At recent demonstrations, the crowd was seen climbing these barricades or even tipping them over.

Baton charges, using the familiar South Asian ‘lathi’ sticks, are common

Lathi charge is a colonial-era tactic where police use batons, traditionally bamboo, now polycarbonate, to scatter crowds.

The Indian National Crime Records Bureau recorded 66 deaths from lathi charges between 2014 and 2024, and Human Rights Watch noted officers hitting female protesters with lath in July 2026. Delhi Police and the Home Ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comments.

International guidelines recommend targeting arms and legs, warning that strikes to sensitive areas like the head, neck, spine, or abdomen—or holding someone by the neck—can cause severe injury, fracture, or suffocation.

Water cannons are for crowd dispersal – but can injure too

Water cannons use low-pressure streams to douse or high-pressure jets to push back crowds. India commonly deploys its “Varun” system for crowd control.

High-pressure streams can cause severe injuries like eye damage and ear ruptures, while added chemical irritants trigger respiratory distress and skin irritation.

Tear gas used to demobilise protestors

Tear gas is a chemical compound that irritates the eyes and skin.

It should never be fired directly at an individual, nor deployed in enclosed or confined spaces, as this can expose people to dangerously high concentrations of the gas.

India’s security forces mainly use tear smoke munitions manufactured by the Tear Smoke Unit under India’s Ministry of Home Affairs.

Pellet guns – a highly controversial method

Pellet guns – typically 12-gauge shotguns firing metal or plastic pellets – are a highly controversial crowd-control method in India.

Metal pellets are explicitly prohibited by the UN’s 2020 guidelines. Their use in India was debated in a 2016 expert committee after severe injuries in Kashmir. While they offered alternatives, they stopped short of a total ban.

India’s top court is evaluating the possibility of banning pellet guns.

Firearms – as a last resort

Firearms should be fired only in extreme circumstances involving imminent danger to life or property, with mandatory prior warning and authorization.

Aim should be kept low, directed at the most threatening part of the crowd and should cease the moment the crowd shows signs of dispersing. The wounded should be given medical care and the ammunition used should be recorded.

AI Surveillance

Police deployed AI-powered surveillance vans during recent Delhi youth protests in July 2026 using “Ikshana” technology from CP Plus to identify individuals with criminal histories and track crowd size. They were not seen at the latest protests in October, however, Reuters reported seeing police with body cameras on site.

A Delhi-based digital advocacy group, the Internet Freedom Foundation, raised concerns over facial recognition accuracy, while activists argued surveillance at the site lacked legal backing and breached privacy rights, though the government maintained the measures were lawful and necessary for public order.

The government says such checks were legal and in the public interest to ensure ​law and order.

Restricting movement, internet; Detaining demonstrators

Authorities have restricted movement and detained demonstrators in several ways.

During the July youth protests, the government ordered telecom companies to disable mobile data in central Delhi, and metro stations near the protest site were shut. During the October protests, petitioners say 45 metro stations stayed closed despite a Supreme Court order, while the Solicitor General says services ran on schedule.

Detentions of people were also carried out away from the protest site. Reuters reported that two CJP leaders were detained at the airport before heading to the protest site on Saturday, and at the October 11 hearing, lawyers argued that police picked people up beyond the restricted zone. The court directed that no one be detained except as the law allows, particularly peaceful, unarmed assemblies beyond the area where prohibitory orders apply.

A UN body urged India to release those arbitrarily detained and respect the right to peaceful assembly. India’s foreign ministry called this unwarranted interference, saying police acted strictly within the law.

In the latest series of nationwide protests against exam leaks in July and electoral irregularities in September, several students and opposition party members were detained or arrested. Most were later released.

Alleged excessive police force undergoing investigation

Human Rights Watch reported that security forces used tear gas and batons against largely peaceful demonstrators in New Delhi in July 2026.

Amnesty International’s investigation found that police used pellet shotguns, tear gas, grenades, batons, and electric shock devices in ways that, in its view, breached international standards and domestic guidelines.

Delhi police, however, denied using electric stun guns or pellet guns and the federal government contended in the Supreme Court that certain anti-social elements with criminal antecedents had turned violent.

The Supreme Court formed a committee in July to examine these claims, and petitions over the October protests are pending.