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, though its use against protesters during the British Raj and since is what the lathi is commonly associated with today.

The lathi can measure from 60 cm to more than a metre in length. One end can, at times, have a metal point. Lathis are the most commonly used crowd control weapon in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and is used to lathi-charge mobs and rioters.