The Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre (FFDC) in Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh is all set to raise a stink in Jammu and Kashmir.
But it's all for a good reason: to drive away stone-pelters who have time and again been a serious hindrance to security forces while they are conducting counter-terrorism activities, and even during actual terror attacks.
Stone-pelting has returned to the Valley in greater numbers ever since the killing of Burhan Wani, the self-styled commander of terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen by Indian Army exactly a year ago.
Non-lethal weapons
Indian security forces have long struggled to quell terrorist and separatist-fuelled protests in Jammu and Kashmir in a manner that does not result in casualties.
The previous attempt at such a weapon was pellet guns — guns filled with small rubber pellets meant to hurt protesters but not kill them.
However, the large number of injuries — especially to the eyes of people in general and children in particular — has led to even Jammu and Kashmir Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to call for a ban on the weapon.
The pellet injuries of children have also been used as separatists to fuel anti-India protests in the state.
Smell this!
Now, it seems that the Fragrance & Flavour Development Centre (FFDC), which functions under the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, has come up with a stink bomb to counter stone pelters.
Possibly designed on the lines of dungbombs in the Harry Potter series unleashed by the Weasley twins Fred and George to deter people from certain places, these stink bombs — named Skunks, possibly after the malodorous striped mammals — give out smoke and an unbearably foul odour.
FFDC Principal Director Shakti Vinay Shukla has been quoted by the Asian Age as saying: "The odour of the capsule is so unbearable that it will drive the stone pelters away."
He added: "The odour-producing chemicals would be put in a small glass capsule, which will be fired through tear guns. As soon as the capsules fall on the ground and break open, the smoke and odour will spread."
Side effects?
The stink boimb, which will now be tested by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Union Ministry for Defence before they are used in the field.
A CRPF official had told the Telegraph about these bombs: "They don't have any side-effects but those who are hit find it difficult to get the smell out of their clothes and bodies for four-five days. The police in the US have also started using the bombs as part of crowd-control measures."
IBTimes India reached out to FFDC director Shukla to find out whether the olfactory effects of the bomb can be reduced by placing a wet cloth over the nose and the mouth — a measure often taken by protesters against tear gas. However, he did not respond.
