IYC student protest helpline receives 1,080 calls, handles 80 legal cases

The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Wednesday revealed that its SOS Chhatron Ki Goonj (SOSCKG) helpline received more than 1,000 calls from students, protesters and their families during the recent nationwide agitation, with over 80 cases requiring legal intervention.

In a press release, the IYC said its helpline was launched to provide coordinated assistance to those affected by the protests, including support for food, shelter, transport and legal aid.

The IYC said the legal department handled more than 80 requests involving alleged detentions, arrests, police action, lathi-charges, access to legal representation, tracing of detained persons and assistance to families searching for relatives.

The organisation claimed its legal teams remained deployed at police stations and detention centres, coordinated with families and worked to secure the release of detained protesters while pursuing legal remedies where required.

Citing specific instances, the Youth Congress said its legal department intervened after several supporters were detained during a protest in Delhi's Rajendra Nagar, remaining at the police station until the legal formalities were completed and the detainees were released.

It also claimed to have provided legal assistance to a group of people and their family members detained in East Delhi, saying its intervention helped secure their release following coordination with authorities at Kamla Market Police Station.

Commenting on the initiative, IYC National In-charge Manish Sharma said, “When students and young people needed support, the Indian Youth Congress did not remain a spectator. Through SOS Chhatron Ki Goonj, our workers and legal teams stood with them from arranging basic assistance to ensuring legal support. The message is clear,no student fighting for justice will be left alone.”

In another case, the organisation alleged that Saqib Khan, who had participated in a protest at Jantar Mantar carrying a poster of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was detained from his residence along with four others. The IYC said its legal department coordinated assistance at Ranjit Nagar Police Station, following which Khan was released.

The Youth Congress further alleged that it received complaints from families who were detained after distributing food to protesters, arguing that humanitarian assistance should not be treated as a criminal act.

The organisation also said its legal response extended beyond the national capital, claiming that four people in Kolkata were granted bail after legal assistance was provided by its lawyers.

IYC National President Uday Bhanu Chib said the helpline received a total of 1,080 calls, many of them distress calls requiring immediate attention.

“A government may deploy barricades, use force and attempt to create fear, but it cannot defeat the collective courage of young India. During these difficult hours, the Indian Youth Congress stood with students not merely in solidarity, but in action. We opened SOS Chhatron Ki Goonj so that every call for food, shelter, transport or legal help could find a response. Our legal warriors stood outside police stations, spoke to anxious families, pursued the release of those detained and ensured that the voices of young people were not silenced through intimidation."

Roopesh Singh Bhadauria, National Chairman of the IYC Legal Department, said the legal team remained on the ground throughout the protests, assisting detainees, coordinating with families and pursuing legal remedies. “The IYC Legal Department stood sternly and steadfastly with every student, protester and family seeking legal support. Our legal warriors remained on the ground, intervened at police stations, coordinated with families, assisted in securing releases and pursued legal remedies wherever required. The Constitution guarantees the right to raise one’s voice, and no citizen should be made to feel helpless for exercising democratic rights,” Bhadauria said.