As many as 101 people, dressed in white shirts and trousers, stood in three rows with rifles in their hands, as a police officer showed them the correct position in which the firearm should be held.
The excitement of the trainees seemed to be tempered with a sense of purpose. Anand Rao, a businessman, felt that such training was essential for all people, and that it would equip ordinary people with the skills to help policemen in doing their duty. Harsha, a journalist, also expressed similar views.
A civil engineer from Puttur, Sainath Rai, said, “We can help the police in dealing with anti-social elements with this sort of training.”
Two students, Ankush Nayak and Gauri Gowda, both studying B.Tech, were attending the training as they were both part of the National Cadet Corps. However, they felt that arms training could have been supplemented with some information on citizens' rights.
Molly Chaudhury, said, “This is a chance to learn a skill, irrespective of whether it is useful or not. I have always wanted to learn something like this, as my husband underwent such training years ago.”
Deputy Superintendent of Police B.J. Bhandary said, “The programme is meant to develop better relationship with the people.”
The district police had received 101 applications from all over the district, including 11 from women.
