Delhi Police told to stay calm on camera, refuse to be 'villains' in protest content

In the age of the smartphone, the street has become a stage, and Delhi's police have found themselves cast without consent. Responding to a wave of digitally-native protests over the NEET-UG exam scandal at Jantar Mantar, the Delhi Police have issued guidelines instructing officers to treat silence and composure as their primary instruments — recognizing that in an era of algorithmic amplification, a single unguarded expression can become the story. The directive reflects a deeper truth about power in the digital age: that narrative control now belongs not to those with authority, but to those