Lathi

Lathi – Southeast Asian Martial Arts Weapon

The Lathi is a martial arts weapon used by Indian, Bangladesh and other Southeast Asian police forces. It is a 2-5 foot stick usually made out of bamboo.

A Lathi is used mainly for crowd control by the police. It is also known for the infamous “Lathi Charge” where policemen charge as a group while swinging Lathi in order to disperse protesters, etc.

It is also the main weapon used in the Bangladeshi and Indian stick-fighting martial arts known as Lathi Khela. The martial arts version of the Lathi is longer than the police version.

Lathi & Crowd Control