By Easwaran Rutnam
The Police had fired CS gas on protesters, including university students, at Parliament Road last week.
Images surfacing on social media showed that N 500 – CS Gas Hand Grenade type tear gas had been thrown into the crowd.
Children and journalists were among those affected by the tear gas fired or thrown during the protests at Parliament Road.
Manufacturers of CS tear gas say when the grenade is thrown after being removed of its safety pin it emits CS gas while twisting. Emission time is about 30 seconds. It consists of lever-type fuse, plastic shell and CS combustion, and it emits much great volume of CS gas than older versions.
CS gas (2-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile) is one of the most commonly used tear gases in the world.
Law enforcement agencies have found this agent invaluable when faced with combative suspects, for riot control, and for alleviating hostage and siege situations. They use it to help control individuals or groups without the need for lethal force. The chemical was used for crowd control as early as the 1950s, but not until the mid-1960s did it come into common use in several countries.
In Britain there had been persistent concerns about the use of CS gas in the media, numerous complaints to the Police Complaints Authority, and an editorial in the Lancet that called for a moratorium on the use of CS tear gas. (Colombo Gazette)
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