Keep calm, your angry face is their ‘content’: Delhi Police dos and don’ts post-Jantar Mantar

Keep calm, your angry face is their 'content': Delhi Police dos and don'ts post-Jantar Mantar Advisory framed by Central agencies shared with all 15 districts as well as the Railway and Metro units of Delhi Police.

Key points

• 6 min read New Delhi Updated: Aug 23, 2026 04: 52 AM IST.
• Earlier this month, an advisory framed by Central agencies was shared with all 15 districts as well as the Railway and Metro units of Delhi Police.
• More than 118 police personnel sustained injuries, including senior officers and women police personnel.
• How Delhi's Jantar Mantar discovered out concerning Pradhan's resignation, and reacted.
• Abhijit Dipke warns of Jantar Mantar-like protest after CJP alleges Jaipur attack.

Notably, a specific directive is to try not to touch women protesters, have women police personnel handle them and be ready to offer support. (File photo).

"Your angry face is their content. They are not fighting you. They are making a film in which they want you to play the villain. Refuse that role."

"Protesters may cry loudly, fall at the feet of personnel, or ask questions intended to create sympathy or anger, such as references to family background or salary problems. In such situations, personnel have been advised not to engage in debate or show agreement, and to employ only a brief line if necessary: 'Please cooperate, we are doing our duty'. Then, maintain silence."

After the Jantar Mantar agitation where their role came in for backlash, Delhi Police personnel have received guidelines not just on how to tackle the new-generation protester, but additionally how not to. And to remember, always, that they are on camera.

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Earlier this month, an advisory framed by Central agencies was shared with all 15 districts as well as the Railway and Metro units of Delhi Police. The underlying message, like the ones shared above, was that today's protesters, particularly those in the 18-28 age group, may not provoke them in the traditional sense. Instead, they would try to trigger an angry response, and turn the brief clip into online "content" as viral reels or memes, sources remarked.

In practice, the advice is to respond instead with calm, restraint and positive actions, and "look straight ahead" if protesters hold mobile phones close to their faces and ask personal or emotional questions such as whether they feel proud, how they sleep at night, or what they would tell their children, The Indian Express has learnt.

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Meanwhile, the Jantar Mantar protest saw a number of residents confront police personnel with these questions, particularly after the July 20 attempt to march to Parliament that saw clashes. Security forces applied lathis, teargas and, in at least one case, a pellet gun to disperse the crowds. Authorities have denied the employ of excessive force.

"A calm face gives them nothing and police personnel are learnt to have been asked to not say anything in such situations. They have been clearly informed that no controversial clip means no viral video, " a source stated.

Some of the actions personnel have been cautioned against are pushing away a phone, snatching items, throwing objects or shouting in anger, or reacting to humour, mockery, songs, dances, mock salutes or placards aimed at them. How Delhi's Jantar Mantar discovered out concerning Pradhan's resignation, and reacted.

Sources remarked they have additionally been informed that protesters may offer them flowers, sweets, water bottles or tea, knowing that either an angry rejection or an overreaction caught on camera could generate online traction. Police personnel are learnt to have been informed to either politely accept such offers or politely refuse.

Other "meme traps" and "social media nets" the personnel have been cautioned against include protesters playing trending songs or audio clips, using police personnel's names in slogans, or creating point-of-view videos near the police line, with captions went on afterwards. Personnel have been informed that while they cannot control captions or edits, they can control their own facial expressions and body language.

"Treat this as background noise, " the SOP notes, adding that if personnel are briefed in advance, they are less probable to be confused or provoked.

Apart from advising restraint, the SOP additionally emphasises what it calls positive actions, such as, "if a protester faints, falls or is injured, they should be the first to step forward, lift the person carefully, call an ambulance and clear the path". Adds the advisory: "Such actions should be done naturally, not for the camera, while noting that cameras are likely to record them." Against the backdrop of CJP 'inspections', Rajasthan administration admits 611 schools have no buildings.

Other such positive actions include removing barricades to allow ambulances, schoolchildren or patients to pass, and to support elderly and disabled persons cross police lines or reach vehicles. "If a small child is separated from parents in a crowd, they have been asked that they should stay with the child until the parents are found, " a source remarked.

Meanwhile, the language and body language should be "respectful", notes the SOP. Such as "Uncle, come this way", "Aunty, please go to this side", "Sir, please cooperate", and when urging a crowd to move, using hands joined in appeal. This is more effective than a raised lathi and appears positive on camera, notes the SOP.

"Respectful language from uniformed personnel can help calm a crowd, " the source remarked.

In an official note issued after the July 20 clashes, a Delhi Police spokesperson remarked the protesters had displayed unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour in the New Delhi area. "More than 118 police personnel sustained injuries, including senior officers and women police personnel. During the scuffle, around 60 protesters were additionally noted to have obtained injured."

Notably, the Indian Express documented that a CRPF inquiry identified that one Rapid Action Force personnel had fired seven shots from a pellet gun, and five had hit protesters.

"Let them (the protesters' cameras) see only two things, " notes the recent advisory. "Your calm face and a helping hand."

Taken together, the developments around keep calm, your angry face is their 'content': Delhi Police dos and point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.