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The West Bengal Government has initiated a broad overhaul of Kolkata Police's riot-control and law-and-order equipment, with plans to procure cogwheel matching the standards utilized by Delhi Police, CRPF, and different cardinal equipped constabulary forces, a elder authoritative said connected Friday (May 29, 2026).
The determination comes days aft 8 constabulary personnel, including officers, were injured in stone-pelting during a gathering successful the Park Circus country connected May 18.
The contented was raised again during Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's archetypal sojourn to the Kolkata Police office astatine Lalbazar connected May 26, wherever helium held a gathering with elder constabulary officers.
"The unit indispensable person the champion instrumentality disposable for handling riots and maintaining instrumentality and order. Kolkata Police should beryllium equipped with cogwheel comparable to that utilized by Delhi Police, CRPF, and different cardinal equipped constabulary forces," a elder authoritative quoted the Chief Minister arsenic saying during the meeting.
Following the directive, an bid was issued successful the sanction of the Kolkata Police Commissioner connected May 27, constituting a five-member committee to reappraisal the force's existing instrumentality and urge upgrades.
The committee, headed by Joint Commissioner (Modernisation) Nilanjan Biswas, includes Deputy Commissioner of the 6th Battalion of Kolkata Armed Police Debasish Das and 3 different officers.
The sheet has been tasked with examining the helmets, batons, shields, assemblage protectors, non-lethal weapons, tear-gas systems, rubber bullets, dye markers, h2o cannons, Vajra anti-riot vehicles and different crowd-control instrumentality utilized by Delhi Police, CRPF and different cardinal forces.
Officials said the committee volition comparison those items with the instrumentality presently successful usage by Kolkata Police and taxable a elaborate study wrong 15 days. Based connected the findings, Lalbazar volition instrumentality further steps, including the procurement of caller instrumentality done the e-tendering process.
The State Government has conveyed that determination should beryllium nary compromise connected prime portion purchasing the upgraded gear, helium said. A elder Lalbazar serviceman said the force's existing instrumentality was not inadequate but acknowledged the request for improvement.
"The riot-control instrumentality presently disposable to america is not of mediocre quality. However, we are present looking astatine acquiring the aforesaid modular of instrumentality utilized by the Delhi Police, CRPF and different cardinal equipped constabulary forces. There is simply a peculiar request for amended helmets, shields, assemblage protectors and tear-gas systems," the serviceman said.
