What’s the news: Border Security Force (BSF) developed a tear gas shell dropping drone system that can be used by police and security forces to control protesters and rioters, a senior officer said on September 2, reported The Telegraph. BSF’s tear smoke unit (TSU) in Tekanpur, Gwalior of Madhya Pradesh developed a ‘Drone Tear Smoke Launcher’ using which police can launch the gas shells from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone. As per a tweet, the BSF said it “will be a potential force multiplier for the security forces working in the law-and-order management domain.” A video in the tweet shows the drone carrying as many as six tear gas shells. https://twitter.com/BSF_India/status/1565723264613494785 According to The Telegraph, a BSF spokesperson said the system was tested recently and the results were announced at the annual governing body meeting of the special unit under the chairmanship of Pankaj Kumar Singh, BSF Director General. During the Delhi meeting, Singh said that the indigenous production of such equipment reduces the “country’s dependence on foreign munitions.” Why this matters: Drone usage is steadily becoming a popular idea with police in India. Earlier, sceptics of this usage talked about surveillance and privacy concerns. However, the introduction of such “non-lethal munitions” can concentrate power in the hands of the police who often deal with unarmed civilians during protests. Drones were used during the farmers’ protest: In 2021, MediaNama exclusively reported on how the Delhi police used drones to monitor farmers’ protest sites without the consent of regulatory…
