Bengaluru: How IPS officer won over a restless crowd

BENGALURU: Senior officer Chetan Singh Rathor, hailed for defusing a tense situation on Thursday by getting anti-CAA protesters to sing the national anthem, said he simply wanted to win their trust and calm them down.
Rathor, the deputy commissioner of police (Bengaluru Central), sang the anthem with protesters in SJ Park-Kalasipalya, a sensitive area.A video of his clever, and unifying, approach went viral, contrasting against images of police personnel in some other parts of the country using force to break up protests.
“The crowd was leaderless. Everyone was behaving like a leader; they were not listening to each other and there was no coordination. Such situations are volatile and if the wrong person takes charge, things can go wrong, leading to arson and rioting,” Rathor said on Friday. “The idea behind what I did was simple. To avoid a bad situation, I tried to see if they could accept me as their temporary leader and work according to my advice.”
He calmly explained to the crowd that everyone at the scene, including police personnel, would suffer if a handful of troublemakers triggered violence. He also spoke about the consequences of violating prohibitory orders.
His appeal that protesters join him in a “song” struck a chord, and the moment he sang the first words of the anthem, the crowd applauded and followed his cue.
“Had there been a prominent leader in the group, I would have spoken to him or her instead of addressing everyone,” Rathor said.
A junior officer who was at the spot said the police team was pleasantly surprised by Rathor’s strategy. “The crowd was getting restless. Rathor sir did something that surprised all of us. He started singing the anthem,” the officer said. “He took charge of the situation and succeeded in dispersing the crowd.”
‘I am Tanveer Ahmed’
Another officer also set an example of how to calmly deal with large groups of people. Inspector Tanveer Ahmed of Silver Jubilee Park police formally introduced himself to protesters, many of whom were young Muslims, outside Town Hall and urged them to walk away.
“I am Tanveer Ahmed, police inspector; please leave the place immediately. Many of you are students and don’t invite trouble. Go back now,” he said. “I am sure you people know nothing on the reason behind the protest. Still you have come here just to instigate. I am also a Muslim and I would like to warn you that we can initiate stern legal action.”