Police in a northern Indian city have been experimenting with a new method of crowd control: drones equipped with pepper spray.
The police force in Lucknow, the capital city of northern Uttar Pradesh state, purchased a fleet of UAVs that can lift 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds), according to The Indian Express, and aim to use them to control mobs with pepper spray.
“We are planning to use these drones to control unruly mobs by showering them with pepper spray," Yashasvi Yadav, Lucknow's police chief is quoted as saying. "This will be less harsh measure than the lathi-charge [baton charge] and we hope it will be more effective.”
"We have managed to work out how to use it to precisely target the mob in winds and congested areas,” he added, according to The Guardian.
Drones are already used for aerial photographs in Uttar Pradesh, the Times of India reported, but this is the first time they would be armed.
The drones cost around 600,000 rupees ($9,600) each, and can fly within a 1-kilometer radius of the operator.
Lucknow has a population of some 2 million people. Last June, police used water cannons against crowds protesting the gang rape of two sisters in Uttar Pradesh, the BBC reported.
