The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that police cannot be barred from using pellet guns when a protest turns violent and is hijacked by miscreants, drawing a comparison to the use of bullets in extreme situations. The observation came during a public interest litigation (PIL) hearing on the use of pellet guns during student protests. Meanwhile, activist Abhijeet Dipke warned the government against harassing students and demanded action over the use of pellet guns. He cautioned that if necessary, students could launch a fresh agitation on a much larger scale. Dipke's statement followed the court's remarks, which suggested that pellet guns are allowed in exceptional circumstances when lathicharge and tear gas fail to control violence. The Supreme Court noted that if police are permitted to use bullets in extreme violent situations, they cannot be barred from using less lethal options like pellet guns when protests are hijacked by miscreants for ulterior purposes.