SC says young people need counselling, not aggressive police response

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday stressed that police should exercise restraint while dealing with protests to prevent situations from escalating and encourage dialogue, observing that young protesters should be counselled instead of being met with an aggressive response from the state.

A bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana agreed to hear a petition filed by retired Air Force officer Maneesh Kumar Solanki seeking stringent action against the organisers of the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march. The matter was tagged with a similar petition already pending before the court, The New Indian Express reported.

The petition alleged that the organisers had incited violence during the march and had not been held accountable. Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Rizwan Ahmed argued that nearly two weeks had passed since the protest and questioned what action had been taken against the organisers. He also alleged that they continued to make provocative public statements instead of helping defuse tensions.

Responding to the submissions, the bench indicated that the primary objective should be to avoid further escalation. CJI Kant observed that even if some misguided individuals resorted to violence, including stone-pelting, the focus should remain on counselling young protesters, adding that an aggressive response by the state could further aggravate the social situation.