The Chairman of the Bar Council of India (BCI), Senior Advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, has issued a public appeal to the country’s legal fraternity, intellectuals and professionals, urging them to play an active role in safeguarding constitutional order and discouraging violence amid the ongoing student protests.

In a four-page statement titled “An Appeal to the Intellectuals of the Country,” Mishra alleged that anti-social and anti-national elements, aided by foreign interests and political actors, had hijacked the protests to destabilise the country. He urged lawyers, teachers, professors, doctors, journalists, engineers, entrepreneurs and other respected members of society to engage with students, counter misinformation, promote peaceful and lawful democratic expression, and prevent young people from being drawn into violence.

The BCI Chairman emphasised that genuine democratic dissent must be distinguished from organised violence and destruction of public property. Calling upon the legal fraternity and other responsible citizens to place the nation above partisan considerations, he urged coordinated efforts to restore peace, uphold the rule of law and protect the future of students.