No more Daya-like door breaking! Cops to get machine to break doors

Baljeet Singh demonstrates how the door breaker works

"Daya, darwaza tod do!" ACP Pradyuman's instructions might seem exciting on TV, but may not always work in the real world. The Mumbai police is soon planning to procure hydraulic door breakers, which have the capacity of breaking even heavy iron doors silently during covert operations.

According to sources in the Mumbai police, on Tuesday, Mumbai Police Commissioner Subodh Jaiswal, and Joint Commissioner, Law and order, Deven Bharti, saw a demonstration of a hydraulic door breaker, and will decide whether to procure them for the force.

The hydraulic door breaker costs between Rs 30 and Rs 40 lakh

Closing the door on Daya
A company called Security Instrument, from New Delhi, will provide the door breachers to Mumbai police, if they decide to procure them. No need for more macho Daya-like door-breaking!

Door breakers are currently being used by the National Service Guard (NSG), Bihar Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Karnataka police, Telangana police, Hyderabad police, Andhra Pradesh Police and special forces in the Indian Army.

While breaking doors might involve using explosives or strong, muscular personnel, even they might find it tough breaking certain kinds of them. But the hydraulic door breakers do so, and silently. Talking to mid-day, Baljeet Singh, manager of Security Instrument said, "I have given a demonstration of the door breakers to the top cops. The breakers even open heavy iron doors soundlessly." Each hydraulic door breaker costs between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 40 lakh. The instrument weighs only between 10 and 13 kg and security forces can use it by remote control.

Indian security agencies realised the importance of such equipment during the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks. Doors were broken using explosives then, which could have caused a lot of damage. In fact, in an operation during 26/11, an NSG commando sustained injuries when a door was broken using explosives and part of a wall collapsed on him.

No more kicking doors
Interestingly, the equipment has been imported. Singh said, "Such equipment is used in urban areas where security forces have to rescue people. They have to break doors without making a noise. This door breaker works silently. We imported it from the France-based Liberbet company." Sources say if procured, the door breakers will be given to Force One and Quick Response Teams (QRT).

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