Use Civil Defence to Manage Student Movements, Says Former Officer

Bedi highlighted that civil defence personnel are typically young men and women recruited on a payroll basis and are not armed with batons. Their role would be to act as the first point of contact with demonstrators, thereby making it the students' responsibility to avoid provoking riot police. She pointed out that the presence of a neutral, unarmed line could deter students from resorting to actions that would otherwise justify the deployment of armed police, ultimately protecting both demonstrators and law‑enforcement agencies from accusations of excess.