A baton charge is a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people, usually used by police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 or military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

 during public order situations

Riot control

Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...

. In certain countries, police are not authorised to use the tactic unless no other means can be practiced.

The tactic involves police officers charging at a crowd of people with batons

Baton (law enforcement)

A truncheon or baton is essentially a club of less than arm's length made of wood, plastic, or metal...

 and in some cases, riot shield

Riot shield

Riot shields are lightweight protection devices deployed by police and some military organizations. Most are a clear polycarbonate, though some are constructed of light metals with a view hole. Riot shields are almost exclusively long enough to cover an average sized man from the top of the head to...

s. They run at the crowd hitting people with their batons, and in some situations use riotshields to push them away. Baton charging is designed to cause the maximum amount of pain

Pain compliance

Pain compliance is the use of painful stimulus to control or direct a person or animal. The stimulus can be manual , use tools such as a whip or electroshock weapon, or use of chemical such as tear gas or pepper spray.The purpose of pain compliance is to direct the actions of...

, in the hope that they would be compelled to move away from the scene, dispersing the crowd.

As a general practice, police often only use the tactic on groups of people. In most cases, police would strike the arms or legs, avoiding the head and vital organs unless the offender presented an immediate threat to life, justifying the strike. Usually, those struck during the charge are allowed to escape to prevent serious injury, and are not chased while being hit.

India

In India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, a baton would often be referred to as a lathi. Some Indian police forces

Law enforcement in India

Law enforcement in India by numerous law enforcement agencies. Like many federal structures, the nature of the Constitution of India mandates law and order as a subject of the state, therefore the bulk of the policing lies with the respective states and territories of India.At the federal level,...

 use lathis around 5 ft long, but in other places lathis are shorter. The term "lathi charge" is used by the Indian media more commonly than "baton charge". The lathi drill is taught to all Indian police

Indian Police Service

The Indian Police Service , simply known as Indian Police or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India...

 recruits. The tactic is controversial among human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

campaigners due to the violence involved.