More than 50,000 students participated in a protest at Jantar Mantar. Their demands were simple: the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the current education minister, and comprehensive reforms to the education system. It was a peaceful demonstration inspired by Gandhian ideology. Students were simply walking from Jantar Mantar toward Parliament.
The Delhi Police, controlled by the central government and under the Ministry of Home Affairs headed by Amit Shah, declared a curfew in Central Delhi and blocked all routes leading to Parliament. Moreover, they jammed mobile telephonic networks. As the protestors began their peaceful march, they were beaten down mercilessly by the police - not with your regular crowd-control pushback, but in a manner that was nearly life-threatening. Students were subjected to a brutal lathicharge, and the police showed zero mercy. Amidst the uniformed personnel were several individuals wielding lathis without name badges or uniforms. Goons - yes, hired goons brought along by the Delhi Police. On top of the physical beatings, students were met with expired tear gas. They were pushed back, but they refused to give up. They retreated and regrouped, continuing their march toward Parliament. The results? Words cannot adequately explain; you simply have to witness the video footage.
One student knelt before the police, joined his hands, and begged for mercy, saying:
"Hit me hard and kill me, but please let the march reach Parliament."
As he uttered those words, three policemen thrashed him viciously with their lathis.
That is just one of thousands of similar incidents. Even women were not spared. Note that most of these protestors were underage students.
Let's take a step back. Anyone who has not completely blinded themselves with devotion to the "supreme leader" knows these were students. They came of their own accord because they had legitimate concerns about the state of education in India. They wanted reforms. They wanted answers from their government. This is dissent in its truest form. They were not politically manipulated by opposition; they simply had questions. Our Gen-Z, the future of this country, had questions.
Alas! It seems they forgot this is New India - not the India taught in school books. This is an India where the government holds totalitarian control over every pillar of democracy. The executive is under its control. The judiciary is under its control; ministers practically appoint the benches of the country's highest court. And most importantly, the media is under crushing control. Every major news outlet is owned and operated by crony capitalists. If you doubt this, consider the top three headlines on the front page of The Times of India - the country's largest-selling newspaper - the morning after the protest:
- Celebrations after Spain won the World Cup against Argentina.
- World War III weapons are here: Iran's plan for war.
- Five signs of breast cancer.
They did not even acknowledge that the protest took place. The closest thing to coverage was a piece highlighting "injured policemen" who supposedly had blisters on their fingers from all the heavy thrashing they had to dish out. I told my wife then, and I will repeat it now: history will remember how the media narrative was manipulated over the past 12 years. Every news outlet, every movie, every celebrity became a pawn of the government. Anyone who dared to dissent was labeled an "anti-national". The ruling party - let's call it by its name, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - has successfully conflated three distinct entities: India (Bharat), the BJP, and Hinduism. Show dissent against one, and you are accused of opposing everything else.
It is not just the pillars of democracy that are under BJP control; it is every independent agency as well. We all know that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), meant to investigate high-profile corruption cases, functions as a government pawn. We know the CBI is co-opted. Furthermore, the entire Election Commission of India has been compromised. Elections happen, but only on paper; every cycle is rigged by the center. The EVMs are rigged, the EC is rigged, and India is officially an electoral autocracy - indistinguishable from North Korea.
I understand that some fellow readers might feel this does not affect them on a personal level - at least not yet. But when it finally does, it will be too late to fight back. I live in the US and hold a visa. I live with the constant fear that if I speak out, the government might revoke my passport. Not just my passport - they could target my financial resources, too. How? It is simple. They could erase records of a property purchase, declare my sale deed counterfeit, and freeze my bank accounts under the pretext of "foreign funding". As I mentioned, the ED and CBI are state pawns. I could turn to the courts, but with a compromised judiciary, it would be futile. You think this sounds extreme? This is the reality of non-democratic states. India is among them now.
I was deeply disheartened by how the students were treated, but I was even more distressed by my mother's reaction. When I called to ask her opinion, she started with: "These unemployed people who have no will to work hard and study have no rights in this country".
Yes, she actually said that. She is a true andhbhakt (blind devotee), and she has been that way for as long as I can remember. I recall the 2019 elections when I was voting for the first time; she gathered the family, took us all to the polling booth, and personally demanded that everyone vote exclusively for the BJP.
When I asked her about the donations allegedly stolen at the Ram Mandir - assuming she would have no defense, as no rational person could - she replied: "You have no idea how many people they have provided employment to; what is the harm if they took some money?"
My heart sank. Employment? Employment in what? Cow protection vigilantism? Ensuring that andhbhakts remain blindly devoted? Can't people see that religion is being exploited to keep us distracted while education and healthcare rot? Naturally, an educated populace would never elect a clownish regime like the BJP/RSS. It is the systemic lack of education that has brought us to this level. When I pointed this out to my mother, she simply changed the subject and refused to engage.
You cannot argue with anyone in my family. They immediately resort to whataboutism, bringing up past misdeeds by the Congress party. I wasn't even born back then! My argument is simple: even if past governments made mistakes, does that give the BJP a license to repeat them? What kind of twisted logic is that?
My own home lacks democracy and transparency. The older generation believes their unyielding faith, their vision of a Hindu Rashtra, and their concept of a monolithic nation are gifts to the youth - a youth they paradoxically view as the destroyers of humanity. We are destroying humanity? Look at the "gift" you have bestowed upon us: a country paralyzed by the fever dream of Hindutva, a nation that can no longer distinguish between patriotism, Hinduism, and autocracy, and an administration brimming with scoundrels at every level.
Democracy must not die. It took a long struggle to win. Our generation cannot be the one that lets it slip away. This is no longer just a fight for educational reform; this is the ultimate battle to save Indian democracy. No matter who is in power, India's democratic framework must survive. In saying this, I hope it is understood that I am not endorsing the INC, AAP, Samajwadi Party, or any other political faction. I am not blindly backing the CJP or any individual activist. I am simply sounding a wake-up call. Wake up. The time has come.
Naturally, like all andhbhakts, someone will ask: "If not Modi, then who?"
I used to say we should elect the candidate whose ideologies best align with our vision for the country, regardless of party affiliation. But now, I say: anyone but Modi. Literally, a melon would do a better job, or even a carrot sitting in the Prime Minister's seat. But not Modi. This is no longer a fight over political ideology; this is a fight for democracy and freedom of speech. We need to remind these scoundrels that they were elected as public servants, not as our overlords. I do not know whom we will end up electing next - whether it will be a worthy leader or another clown - but Modi must go.
Returning to the protest, the climate of fear is finally cracking. At least a portion of the population is waking up. I hope this movement managed to shift the mindset of even 5% of the populace. These were students from every caste, background, and religion. Some came from Kashmir, some from the Northeast, some from Kerala, and some from Andhra Pradesh. All they had was a peaceful request. They did not arrive with bulldozers and tractors; they came with placards. They carried no guns; instead, they bent on their knees asking for justice. I do not know what comes next - whether we maintain a Gandhian approach or lean toward the spirit of Che Guevara - but fear will no longer silence us. Change is inevitable.
P.S. I still cannot believe sellout R. Madhavan played Flight Lt. Ajay Singh Rathod in Rang De Basanti.
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