NEW DELHI, Aug 5: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said authorities must exercise restraint while dealing with young student protesters, observing that using violence to prevent violence would only aggravate the situation. The Chief Justice said the most effective approach was to listen to the protesters and understand the reasons behind their agitation, stressing the need for authorities to respond with restraint. The court tagged the matter with other pending petitions concerning violence during student protests in Delhi and other states and said all the matters would be heard together. The court said it would consider the matter on the next date of hearing after taking note of the stand of the Central Government. The observations came amid continuing debate over the handling of student protests and allegations of excessive use of force during demonstrations in Delhi and other parts of the country.