India, Aug. 7 -- For some protesters, a police crackdown ends when the barricades come down. For others, its effects continue in hospital wards, injured bodies and courtrooms. At a Press Club of India panel on "Delhi Police and Citizenry" on Thursday, former police officer, Famous journalist, student activists and a pellet-gun victim offered sharply different but converging perspectives on one question: where should the State draw the line while controlling a crowd? Former IPS officer and retired Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau Yashovardhan Azad argued that crowd control in a democracy should begin with negotiation rather than force. Also Read - Narela: Merc-car crash kills woman pedestrian "Crowd is not our enemy. We are not there to kill. We are supposed to manage the crowd and at best disperse," Azad said, stressing that police personnel must understand the "gradation of force". Speaking about pellet guns, Azad said he and others had approached the Supreme Court seeking their ban, arguing that while an officer may control the trigger, there is no control over where pellets ultimately strike. He cited injuries reported during their use in Jammu and Kashmir and called the weapon "inhumane". For student leader Neha Bora, however, the debate over policing is not theoretical. Recalling her experiences during protests, including the recent mobilisation at Jantar Mantar, Bora alleged that protesters returning with injuries were met with tear gas and lathi charges. Also Read - CM gives jobs boost to 187 MCD employees She described a makeshift medical tent where doctors treated protesters with fractures, ligament injuries and wounds. Bora questioned the use of force inside Jantar Mantar when, according to her account, many people there were either on hunger strike or seeking medical assistance. "Who are you dispersing inside Jantar Mantar?" she asked. Irshad Mansoor, a petitioner in the Supreme Court and a pellet-gun victim, brought the consequences of such force into sharper focus. He said he was protesting over education policy, corruption and paper leaks when he was injured. Mansoor said he spent several days in hospital, underwent multiple surgeries and suffered significant blood loss. He said the petition seeks to prevent pellet guns, stun batons and excessive force from becoming normalised during protests. The discussion at the Press Club ultimately moved beyond policing itself to a larger democratic question: can dissent be dispersed without the people expressing it being made to pay the price?

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.