Former world no 1 double trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi was roped in by the Haryana Police to teach their commandos how to use a shotgun to bring down a drone, according to a report in The Tribune.
Haryana Police have established a Drone Application and Research Centre to train the recruits everything about drones, which are being used more often by criminal elements in the region.
The 2010 Asian Games gold medallist Sodhi first taught the trainees to shoot down the clay and then the drones.
“This I believe is the first ever training of this kind in India. I know that in America they (police) train with shotguns and in Colorado Springs, shotgun shooters have trained the American army in the past. So this is a welcome move from Haryana Police,” Sodhi was quoted as saying.
“Police personnel only use pistols or rifles, with which it is impossible to bring drones down. A shotgun is the only answer. The training was all practical exercise,” he added.
Additional Director General Anil Rao, who conceptualised DARC, said drones could even be used to target VVIPs and hence it was important to train the force about their use and misuse.
“You would have read what was happening in Punjab. Drones were being used to drop drugs and weapons. It is not limited to delivery only, one can fire a weapon from a drone.
“So one can fit a weapon, maybe a 9mm gun, and can operate it sitting kilometres away. Shooting it down is the only option, and who better than a trap shooter to tell us how,” Rao was quoted as saying.