Shoot at those who attack you, top cop tells his men

Following repeated attacks on police personnel in Bengaluru, the Bengaluru city police commissioner on Saturday authorised his staff to shoot at miscreants targeting them.    

"Use your power when assailants obstruct you while discharging your duties,'' said police commissioner T Suneel Kumar.  

In the last one week, there have been 13 attacks on police constables in the city. "If they try to attack you, shoot them in their legs without any hesitation,'' Suneel Kumar said at a press conference.  

Night beat constables have been atacked in Kodigehalli, Jagjivanram Nagar, Jeevan Bima Nagar, Cubbon Park, Banaswadi and KG Halli over the last one week. "It seems, there is no security for the policeman who guards members of the public," he said.

According to the police manual, the police can use any kind of power to stop a crime. If the situation demands, constables have all the powers to  fire at the assailants, he said.

He instructed night beat police personnel to carry rifles without fail. In sensitive areas and in poorly lit areas, he advised deployment of four constables instead of two. He also instructed them to keep in constant touch with the police control room, the jurisdictional police station and Hoysala staff.

He said the culprits in the recent attacks on police constables were neither rowdies nor criminals but were under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A team headed by DCP M N Anucheth has been formed to catch them, he said.

A special team has also been formed to check bars which serve liquor beyond the deadline. The police have noticed that some unruly groups party till  early hours on the middle of the roads.

The police have closed down nearly 30 bars for a month for violating the rules, he said.