Tear gas in India: The law, the science and the human cost
Tear Gas has long been one of the potent crowd-control tools in the country to curb public demonstration. The ‘anti-protest’ tactic, which traces back to
Tear Gas has long been one of the potent crowd-control tools in the country to curb public demonstration. The ‘anti-protest’ tactic, which traces back to pre-world war times, has become a standard part of riot-control policing across the world. The use of tear gas to disperse protesters has once again come under scrutiny following allegations of excessive force during demonstrations over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. In the past, certain modifications have been undertaken to alleviate the chances of ‘fatal incidents’ due to dispersal of ‘Tear Gas’. What is a tear gas? Tear gas, scientifically known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator, is a chemical compound that irritates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In addition, it can cause severe eye and respiratory pain, skin irritation, bleeding, and blindness. The irritation typically appears after 20 to 30 seconds of exposure whose effects last as long as 30 minutes. Also Read: All is not well: On the protests in Delhi The two commonly used tear gas variants include: CS Gas and CN Gas. The former is an aerosol of o-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile, which activates the pain receptors in the body, causing intense burning and involuntary eye closure. CN Gas, or Phenacyl chloride, is more toxic than CS Gas since it has potentially more harmful effect on skin. Majorly, the Indian riot control force use CS-based tear smoke munitions, manufactured by the Tear Smoke Unit (TSU) under the Ministry of Home Affairs in BSF Campus, Gwalior.
Tear gas: a French invention Tear gas has an interesting double origin — it was actually used by police before it became a weapon of war, then came back to policing afterward with much more lethal formulations. Here’s the sequence 1912 — French police, pre-WWI: For the first time, the French police used the chemical tool to subdue and capture armed criminals. For the first time, the French police used the chemical tool to subdue and capture armed criminals. 1914-1918 — World War I: In a stealth display of power, French troops then fired tear gas grenades into German trenches to pull soldiers out from their secured perimeters to make easy targets. In a stealth display of power, French troops then fired tear gas grenades into German trenches to pull soldiers out from their secured perimeters to make easy targets. 1921 — Battle of Blair Mountain, West Virginia: The US Army replicated this for the first time at the Battle of Blair Mountain, a huge armed uprising by coal miners in West Virginia demanding union rights, to supress the dissent voices. Following the successful combat, the Army’s chemical unit introduced it for civilian law enforcement in more than 600 U.S. cities by the end of 1923. What happened in Delhi protests? On July 20th, 2026, the CJP protesters led a march to the parliament, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
The BriefWire