NEW DELHI: Amid allegations of excessive force during the recent Parliament march by students protesting under the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) banner, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi on Thursday proposed deploying trained civil defence volunteers (CDVs) as the first line of response to student protests, saying the move could help reduce direct confrontation between demonstrators and police.In a post on X, the former Puducherry lieutenant governor said civil defence volunteers could serve as the first line of defence during student protests, much like the Border Security Force (BSF) guards India’s borders.In a self-recorded video shared on the social media platform, Bedi suggested that CDVs, equipped with protective gear but carrying no canes, should stand in front of student protesters, while riot police remain behind them to ensure their safety and prevent violence or damage to public property.Her remarks come days after dozens of police personnel, paramilitary forces and protesters were injured during the CJP-led Parliament march on Monday.The march was organised to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak.Bedi, who served in the Delhi Police before retiring as a celebrated IPS officer, said every state already has civil defence volunteers or home guards whose personnel could be trained to manage situations arising out of student protests.“The safest way to avert a confrontation between the students and police is to have a trained civil defence as the first line of defence and riot police as it is now,” she said.According to Bedi, riot police should intervene only if the civil defence line is overrun or comes under threat.“The civil defence personnel can be with cane shields to protect themselves from bricks and also have body armour and helmets. No sticks. This will place the onus on the student demonstrators to not provoke the coming in of riot police,” Bedi stated.Bedi also said that the use of armed police action is intended to protect lives and property and should be justified only when necessary. Deploying civil defence volunteers, she added, could help prevent allegations and counter-allegations over the handling of protests.(With PTI inputs)
