Youth Congress helpline receives over 3,000 calls from student protesters
A helpline launched by the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on July 27, 2026, to provide legal and other support to students facing online and offline
A helpline launched by the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on July 27, 2026, to provide legal and other support to students facing online and offline harassment over their participation in protests across the country has received over 3,000 calls so far, the Congress party said. As a significant number of callers were female, they had stepped up outreach efforts for women allegedly targeted by the authorities, IYC leaders said. The Congress has strongly criticised the police case registered against protester Ruchika Singh for allegedly making objectionable remarks at Jantar Mantar on July 23, 2026.
According to the complaint filed with Uttar Pradesh Police, her remarks “insulted the dignity of the Prime Minister’s Office” and were intended to “spread disharmony and disturb public peace”. The helpline was launched soon after the police crackdown on protesters began, a senior IYC leader said. On its first day alone, the service received 1,080 calls, with 55 callers requiring immediate legal intervention. Many of the calls came from Bihar, they said. In several cases, callers sought assistance not for legal matters but to reassure worried family members, particularly after reports emerged that the police were using facial recognition technology and other surveillance tools to identify protesters.
In cases involving women subjected to sustained online trolling, the organisation was tracking abusive accounts and reporting them to the relevant platforms, the IYC officials said. On Sunday (August 2, 2026), IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib visited Bhagalpur as part of a Congress fact-finding committee constituted to examine the police response to student protests in Bihar. “Many young students have left their homes out of fear, and their families do not know where they are. This is a matter of serious concern, and the entire incident needs to be investigated,” Mr. Chib said.
“They are the future of the country, and raising one’s voice for one’s rights is a democratic right. If any student faces legal action, the Youth Congress and the Congress party will stand with them,” the IYC president said.
The BriefWire