Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra has issued a four-page public appeal alleging that recent student protests in India have been infiltrated by anti-national and anti-social elements whose objective is to destabilize the country. In the release titled “An Appeal to the Intellectuals of the Country,” Mishra called upon responsible citizens to guide students toward peaceful and lawful forms of democratic expression.
External Influence and Allegations of Funding
The appeal opens with a warning that “foreign adversaries are acting with the intent to destabilize India, and innocent students are being misled and misused.” Mishra claims that anti-social forces have hijacked the agitation to “undermine and ruin our country.” He alleges that these disruptive forces appear unable to reconcile themselves with India’s economic progress and global stature.
Mishra also made serious allegations regarding foreign influence and funding. He claimed that one politician frequently travels abroad and meets anti-Indian figures, including those who support terrorism, and is reputedly close to George Soros. The statement alleges funds from developed countries are being routed through political parties to create instability.
Related: Supreme Court may hand ED case to CBI
There is a pattern in how foreign influence operates in public discourse. When political narratives clash with national stability, outside actors often try to amplify the noise. This dynamic puts a heavy burden on domestic institutions and civil society to filter fact from fiction without becoming part of the chaos.
Organization of Protests and Social Media Campaigns
Mishra alleged that experts in stone pelting have been brought from Jammu and Kashmir and other states into Delhi and other major cities. He claims these individuals are being paid substantial amounts to create disorder, assault police personnel, and damage public property. The statement further claims that large-scale social media campaigns have been orchestrated at the behest of Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, and other countries to spread distorted information and mislead India’s youth.
Duties of Intellectuals and Professionals
A significant portion of the appeal is devoted to defining the role of lawyers and intellectuals during periods of turmoil. Under the heading “Duties of Intellectuals during such state of turmoil,” Mishra stated that “it is the duty of the legal profession and of all intellectuals and prudent citizens to step forward and convey the truth to innocent students and the wider public.”
Related: Your NYC Lawyer Knows What Insurance Companies Don’t Want You to Find Out
He further stated that professionals possess the knowledge, experience, and credibility necessary to help distinguish genuine democratic dissent from violence, misinformation, and organized disorder. Teachers and professors were urged to engage directly with young people, listen to their concerns, and guide them toward peaceful, lawful, and constructive forms of expression. He cautioned educational institutions against allowing impressionable students to be drawn into violence.
Call for Collective Action
Mishra emphasized that every responsible citizen has a solemn civic duty to protect constitutional order, social harmony, and the future of the younger generation. He called upon universities, colleges, hospitals, professional bodies, chambers of commerce, and civil society organizations to organize awareness programs on constitutional values, peaceful protest, and digital responsibility.
Concluding the appeal, Mishra distinguished between peaceful student protests and violent demonstrations. He stated that “any type of disruptive elements are not genuine protesters; they are destroyers.” He asserted that “this so-called protest has been completely hijacked by malicious elements whose objectives differ from those of genuine students.” He urged lawyers, student leaders, political parties, and law enforcement agencies to cooperate in restoring peace and upholding the Constitution.