Lathi (stick)

The lathi (in Hindi/Nepali: लाठी, Tamil: லத்தி, Bengali: লাঠি, Urdu: لاٹھی, Sinhalese: ලති) is a bamboo stick used by the police in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

It has been used in mainland Indian subcontinent since the Mughal Empire,[1] though its use against protesters during the British Raj and since is what the lathi is commonly associated with today.

[2] The lathi can measure from 60 cm to more than a metre in length.

Lathis are the most commonly used crowd control weapon in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and are used to lathi-charge mobs and rioters.

[3] This article relating to blunt weapons is a stub.