Silent Bomb Detectors: Delhi Police Dogs Trained Not To Bark When They Find Explosives, Ahead Of Independence Day
"Now, we teach our dogs to stay calm and show signs like wagging their tail or looking at their handler when they detect something suspicious," he explained.
The Delhi Police Dog Squad has 64 dogs, 58 trained to find explosives, 3 to detect drugs, and 3 to track down criminals. These dogs are posted at important places like the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk to help keep everyone safe during the Independence Day celebrations.
The 64 dogs belong to four different breeds: 22 Labradors, 17 Belgian Malinois, 16 German Shepherds and 9 Golden Retrievers. Around 40 per cent of the squad's dogs are female and the remaining 60 per cent are male.
The Delhi Police is also expanding its dog squad. A plan is underway to add 30 more dogs. In 2024, 13 dogs were already inducted. While some dogs come from the Army, many are purchased through private tenders. Last year, each dog cost around Rs 5 lakh.
The dog squad functions 24/7. Handlers and dogs are always on call to respond to alerts, check unattended bags, and sweep key locations. The dogs are also deployed at large public events throughout the year, such as Ram Lila, Janmashtami, and Eid.
There are 121 personnel in the squad, including 1 sub-inspector, 28 assistant sub-inspectors, 53 head constables, and 39 constables--all trained as dog handlers.
The main headquarters of the squad is in Model Town, with nine district units spread across East, Southwest, Dwarka, Northwest, Central, North, New Delhi and NortheastDelhi. Each unit has kennels equipped with air coolers and washrooms to ensure the comfort and well-being of the dogs.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Ashok Kumar, a dog handler with Delhi Police, said, "The dog has to be raised like a child; the behaviour of any dog depends on its mood, but we come to know if our dog has any problem or not. In the morning when we take it out of its kennel, it starts playing, which means it is happy; otherwise, we understand that its health is not good, after which we do its checkup. If needed, we take it to the hospital as well. Every day we train and practice with our dogs, clean them, and feed them, and if we get a call, we take them to the spot."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi cop's book traces history of policing in India since Vedic age
Dinesh Kumar Gupta, additional commissioner of police (traffic) of the Delhi Police, unveiled his new book 'Policing and Crime Trends in India' at the India Habitat Centre on Sunday. BJP MPs Harsh Malhotra, Manoj Tiwari and Kiran Choudhry, actor Vindu Dara Singh, among others, at the book launch on Sunday. (ANI) The book delves into the development of policing from ancient civilisations to the modern day, examining shifts in crime, public perception, and police capability. It underlines the impact of colonial rule and urges a citizen-centric, proactive policing model to tackle present-day challenges like cybercrime, terrorism, and gender-based violence. The book also delves into the evolution of the Indian Police Service (IPS), span from British era to the present day. 'I have explored how policing from Vedic times originated and what changes have occurred in policing and crime over time. I have shared my own experience and insight in regards to policing and what needs to be done from our side to improve it. My book is a culmination of my journey, inspired by my father, a passionate police officer who served in the UP Police. His writings and values have instilled in me a sense of duty, resilience and compassion,' said Gupta. Union minister of state Harsh Malhotra was the chief guest. Delhi commissioner of police Sanjay Arora, MPs Manoj Tiwari and Kiran Choudhary, professor GS Bajpai, vice-chancellor, National Law University, IPS officers Vivek Gogia, Devesh Chandra Srivastava, Ajay Choudhary, and Jaspal Singh, para-athlete Deepa Malik, and chief minister Rekha Gupta were also present.
Scroll.in
2 hours ago
- Scroll.in
The Kanwar Yatra must return to its roots as journey of discipline
On July 8, some participants in the Kanwar Yatra vandalised an eatery in Uttar Pradesh's Muzzafarnagar as they found onions in their meals – a vegetable that is taboo during the annual pilgrimage to Haridwar to carry back water from the Ganga. Shortly after, a woman travelling on the Haridwar-Rishikul Highway was dragged by her hair and beaten with slippers because her scooter accidentally grazed a pot that contained holy water. These were only two of several instances of violence by kanwariyas reported during this year's edition of the pilgrimage, which started on July 11 and ended on July 23. The exercise by devotees of the Hindu god Shiva is not supposed to be only a physical journey – it is intended to instill spiritual discipline too. The pilgrims are expected to abstain from alcohol and avoid arguments or violence. However, as these incidents show, the Kanwar Yatra in recent years has increasingly become a theatre of aggression. Pilgrims, clad in saffron, once walked in solemn devotion. But today, some wield hockey sticks and trishuls. They are often accompanied by trucks studded with loudspeakers that announce their presence in a manner that some would find alarming, if not threatening. 🎥 #WATCH | 🔊 Decibel levels have shot up in the capital over the past few days as a steady stream of kanwariyas with boomboxes 📢 make their way through the city for their annual pilgrimage 🙏🛕 🚨 Despite the noise levels exceeding permissible limits, the Delhi Police 👮♂️ and… — Hindustan Times (@htTweets) July 23, 2025 Several people travelling or operating businesses on the Kanwar Yatra routes faced assaults by kanwariyas after petty disputes or inconveniences. The state's role is both silence and encouragement. This includes exempting participants from traffic laws, providing them with police escorts and showering petals on them. Though many officials view Muslims praying in public spaces as a nuisance, they have no hesitation lending a helping hand to kanwariyas. This has created a culture of impunity that is so strong, even uniformed personnel were not spared. In Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur on July 19, a Central Reserve Police Force jawan was attacked by kanwariyas after a ticketing dispute. Though the assailants were arrested by the Railway Protection Force, they were released within an hour. If the law enforcement officials can be targeted so brazenly, it suggests not just loss of control but a deeper cultural shift – the belief that faith grants immunity and that public infrastructure will bend to the might of politicised faith. After all this, when the state responded, it did so in a manner that was predictably performative. Uttar Pradesh authorities eventually banned trishuls and hockey sticks on the route and issued belated warnings against violence. Though some FIRs were filed, such legal action did little to inhibit such behaviour. Each of these incidents weaves a larger story where acts of faith have been repurposed as performances of domination and creating spectacles of humiliation, especially for minorities. Needless to state, the intent of the Yatra is not aggression. But a few miscreants have muddied perceptions of the whole Yatra. An additional challenge was thrown up this year by a directive from the Uttar Pradesh authorities requiring vendors and shop owners to display QR code stickers outside their shops. These codes were purportedly linked to a food safety app that revealed the names and religious and caste identity of the owners. The religious identities of stall owners along the route of the Yatra has often been the cause of conflict. Kanwariyas have been known to boycott Muslim vendors or even attack them. Though the directive on the QR codes was challenged before the Supreme Court, the judges refused to examine the legality of the order. Instead, they reiterated that vendors must display their licences and registration certificates as required by the law. Pintu, a worker washing dishes at a dhaba in Muzaffarnagar, was assaulted so brutally his leg broke. The reason? A piece of onion accidentally landed in a meal ordered by a kanwariya. Watch @anmolpritamND 's report on how faith is being weaponised: — newslaundry (@newslaundry) July 12, 2025 Ironically, the Supreme Court last year had stayed similar directives by Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand requiring owners of eateries to display the names of their owners and staff. Such disclosure not only violates the right to privacy but also the bundle of rights related to the protection of life and personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court's reluctance this year to examine the legality of the directive on QR codes leaves the door open for future abuses. This order, like last year's directive on names, lacks legal basis and perpetuates a climate of fear. The Kanwar Yatra's devotees undeniably have the right to eat and shop at establishments of their choice – but not at the cost of forcing shop owners and staff to disclose their identities, especially amid recurring violence. When two rights clashes, the solution lies in equilibrium and upholding religious freedom while safeguarding privacy and dignity. The state must ensure that logistical measures for the Yatra do not morph into instruments of profiling or intimidation. Until then, such directives will remain not just legally untenable but socially corrosive, undermining the pluralism the Constitution seeks to protect. While many still uphold the Yatra's true spirit – offering food, shelter, and flowers to pilgrims – the rising violence tarnishes its sanctity. A visible minority has hijacked perceptions of the event. The state's failure to curb this aggression risks normalising faith-based vigilantism, eroding the very pluralism the Constitution seeks to protect. Sociologist Santosh Singh has rightly argued that the Kanwar Yatra was a path of penance and pain, not spectacle and violence. 'Today, are we even listening to our gods and what they signify in essence?' he wrote in The Indian Express. The Kanwar Yatra must return to its roots – a journey of discipline, not domination. The state must enforce the law equally, ensuring that no religion enjoys a free pass for violence. Civil society, too, must resist the politicisation of faith and uphold the true essence of devotion – peace, humility and respect for all. Otherwise, what was once a sacred pilgrimage risks becoming an annual ritual of fear and division.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Atrocious' linguistic terror unleashed by BJP: CM before ‘Bhasha Andolan'
Kolkata: Sharing a 47-second video from July 26, of a migrant from Malda narrating the injuries Delhi Police inflicted on his one-year-old child and wife, CM Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said the linguistic terror unleashed by BJP against Bengali-speakers was "atrocious" and "terrible". The CM will lead a statewide 'Bhasa Andolan' from Birbhum on Monday. Posting the video on X, Banerjee said: "Atrocious! Terrible! See how Delhi police brutally beat up a kid and his mother, members of a migrant family from Malda's Chanchal. See how even a child is not spared from the cruelty of violence in the regime of linguistic terror unleashed by BJP in the country against the Bengalis! Where are they taking our country now?" Farida Biwi, who lives in Delhi's Geeta Colony, told TOI over the phone that the video was of her son's wife and child. "They were detained by Delhi Police despite showing EPIC, Aadhaar and ration cards. We have been working in Delhi for the past six years. We are Indian, not Bangladeshi. They are deliberately targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims." You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Banerjee is expected to reach Birbhum late on Sunday. Ahead of the protests, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told reporters: "The videos reaching our party leaders (from migrants facing harassment) are nothing short of medieval brutality. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Simple Online Trick Makes Me $100 Every Day Try Now Undo This is hellish torture. In one video that has reached me, the person narrating his ordeal says he has been working in Haryana for the past two decades. People are being subjected to torture, denying them the right to show their valid documents and illegally packed off to detention centres without notices. " Ghosh said: "What is worrisome is that even Matuas and Rajbanshis are being targeted by BJP-governed states. BJP has unleashed an atmosphere of terror. How can speaking Bengali — a constitutionally scheduled language — be a crime?" Responding to BJP's claims that the drive was meant to flush out illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingya, Ghosh said: "Rohingya have a different geo-political context. It involves Myanmar, Delhi (Centre) and the United Nations. And if you talk of illegal Bangladeshis, whose task is to stop them? The answer is BSF. For either, why are Bengali-speaking Indian citizens being harassed even when they are showing legally accepted documents. " State finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya also launched a blistering attack on the Centre, accusing it of carrying out a "systematic and shameless assault" on Bengali identity across the country. "BJP-run states have turned the harassment of Bengalis into a strategy. But Bengal—and the global Bengali diaspora—will resist this with dignity and strength," she said. "The Centre will be held accountable at the right time. Bengal has never insulted people from neighbouring states like Assam, Odisha, Bihar or Jharkhand. Yet, across the country, Bengalis are being humiliated, attacked and even killed—simply because they speak Bengali. Bengal knows how to respond," Bhattacharya added.
