Dear Punchbala,
For a security guard getting assaulted during such an event is a hazard of service. Mobocracy, respects no law. It may be regretted later but in the heat of the moment such things will happen. My sympathies are with your colleague.
But don't you read of policemen being beaten up / injured while attempting to disperse mobs? Well. it's a similar situation. Thankfully, it does not occur as often as with the police. So, the point to remember is that you need to let the police do police work. If you decide to take the strikers head on, you will be violating the law (Your very intention is wrong!) and you are likely to fare worse than the earlier occasion. Plus you are only proving that you have not learned from your past experience.
My advice to you is:-
1. Keep calm.
2. Apprise the police of the past incident and ensure their presence at the proposed strike. The management can officially ask for police or para-military cover, even if it means paying a token amount.
3. Please study the IPC and CrPC. These codes cannot be applied in a haphazard manner. There are many implications which can land you in the pale.
Let me take you through a little exercise. It is obvious that numerically the strikers are greater in number. If things turn ugly and you plan to deal with them on your own, you would have to use some kind of weapons. There is always a possibility that you or one of your gunmen will violate the principle of 'Minimum Force'. Thus:-
1. You would have transgressed the law, making yourself and your agency and your PSU liable to legal action.
2. You would have shown signs of immaturity and lack of professionalism.
3. You would have soured the environment in the factory premises for a long time to come.
4. There still remains the possibility that when the strikers come to know of your intentions they will also resort to violence in one form or another. Say, they start a fire somewhere in the factory and taking advantage of your preoccupation with it they injure your personnel. What have you achieved?
Nothing! Your losses will always be greater.
So, once again my advice to you remains the same. Stay calm. Study the law. Get police help and advice. Let the administration deal with the strikers.
Here's wishing you luck.
Colonel Gahlot
From India, Delhi
26For a security guard getting assaulted during such an event is a hazard of service. Mobocracy, respects no law. It may be regretted later but in the heat of the moment such things will happen. My sympathies are with your colleague.
But don't you read of policemen being beaten up / injured while attempting to disperse mobs? Well. it's a similar situation. Thankfully, it does not occur as often as with the police. So, the point to remember is that you need to let the police do police work. If you decide to take the strikers head on, you will be violating the law (Your very intention is wrong!) and you are likely to fare worse than the earlier occasion. Plus you are only proving that you have not learned from your past experience.
My advice to you is:-
1. Keep calm.
2. Apprise the police of the past incident and ensure their presence at the proposed strike. The management can officially ask for police or para-military cover, even if it means paying a token amount.
3. Please study the IPC and CrPC. These codes cannot be applied in a haphazard manner. There are many implications which can land you in the pale.
Let me take you through a little exercise. It is obvious that numerically the strikers are greater in number. If things turn ugly and you plan to deal with them on your own, you would have to use some kind of weapons. There is always a possibility that you or one of your gunmen will violate the principle of 'Minimum Force'. Thus:-
1. You would have transgressed the law, making yourself and your agency and your PSU liable to legal action.
2. You would have shown signs of immaturity and lack of professionalism.
3. You would have soured the environment in the factory premises for a long time to come.
4. There still remains the possibility that when the strikers come to know of your intentions they will also resort to violence in one form or another. Say, they start a fire somewhere in the factory and taking advantage of your preoccupation with it they injure your personnel. What have you achieved?
Nothing! Your losses will always be greater.
So, once again my advice to you remains the same. Stay calm. Study the law. Get police help and advice. Let the administration deal with the strikers.
Here's wishing you luck.
Colonel Gahlot
From India, Delhi
Dear Punchbala,
In such circumstances as a matter of precaution, by quoting the past incidents, you can request the police to provide appropriate security in addition to the private security personnels. When the matter is reported to the police, it would become the liability of the police to enforce law and order. They cannot ignore your rquest, as in the event of any untoward event only police would be responsible for that event if that ignores the warning signal sent by you. But, in your request do not mention about deploymwent of private security. That may result in to inappropriate arrangements by the police. Private security is normally deployed as a preventive measure to safeguard the assets of the organization and vandalism of individuals, not from mobs in any strike.
BUT. never ask the private security to take law in to their hands, as private security in the event of any untoward event can name you or the management responsible for inciting them to take law in to their hands, which can create a very difficult situation for you to handle when police would try to frame charge against the management.
Wish you all success in controlling the situation in the hour of your test.
From India, Delhi
In such circumstances as a matter of precaution, by quoting the past incidents, you can request the police to provide appropriate security in addition to the private security personnels. When the matter is reported to the police, it would become the liability of the police to enforce law and order. They cannot ignore your rquest, as in the event of any untoward event only police would be responsible for that event if that ignores the warning signal sent by you. But, in your request do not mention about deploymwent of private security. That may result in to inappropriate arrangements by the police. Private security is normally deployed as a preventive measure to safeguard the assets of the organization and vandalism of individuals, not from mobs in any strike.
BUT. never ask the private security to take law in to their hands, as private security in the event of any untoward event can name you or the management responsible for inciting them to take law in to their hands, which can create a very difficult situation for you to handle when police would try to frame charge against the management.
Wish you all success in controlling the situation in the hour of your test.
From India, Delhi
Dear Colonel Gahlot,
Your wise words have made lot of sense! I have appraised my office and they have talked to the management accordingly...!! I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Thanks and Regards,
123PUNCHBALA123
From India, Bangalore
Your wise words have made lot of sense! I have appraised my office and they have talked to the management accordingly...!! I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Thanks and Regards,
123PUNCHBALA123
From India, Bangalore
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Std-contract-fo r-security-serv ice-arrangement .pdf