Why did the police suddenly change their approach at the protest site?

It’s hard to say what caused the change without knowing which protest or seeing the moment you mean. A shift in police tactics can follow changes in crowd behavior, a new assessment of risk, or orders from commanders. Officers may also move from engaging with protesters to controlling access or setting a perimeter if the situation around them changes.

What looks sudden on video may reflect decisions made off camera, or a change in the stated plan. The department’s explanation, accounts from people at the scene, and a fuller timeline can help distinguish a de-escalation strategy from a move to contain the area. If you share the protest, date, or clip, it may be possible to discuss that specific change more accurately.

Sometime in mid-July, after a change in Delhi Police leadership, officers took down the barricades around the site and moved Wangchuk to a hospital. A lot of protesters read this as a meaningful shift in how authorities were handling things.
Opposition parties spread misleading information among students.