In a seemingly amusing turn of events, the UP police is now busy stocking up "lathis" to control the mobs if they happen to go berserk after the Babri verdict is announced in court later this week.
A senior police official told reporters that a sum of `72.5 crores had already been sanctioned by the state government to purchase lathis.
Of the sanctioned amount, `50 crore is for purchase of lathis to be used by the police force, `16 crore for home guards and `6.5 crore for Prantiya Raksha Dal (PRD) jawans.
The lathis, incidentally are considered to be the best mob control equipment since their rarely cause fatal injuries if used judiciously. Besides, they are effective in frightening and dispersing the mobs.
The official added that apart from lathis, helmets with face guards, body protectors and shields were also being purchased since these were used in mob control situations.
He further said that though modernisation of the state police force was already underway and the weaponry was being upgraded, the replacement for lathi, a traditional form of mob control, had yet to be found.
"We tried polycarbonate lathis but they are not as effective as the wooden ones though they cause fewer injuries than the wooden ones," he said while replying to a question.
The state police plans to purchase about one lakh lathis — each costing around Rs 300 — while more than 40,000 polycarbonate lathis will also be purchased.