If These Students Are Terrorists, Then What Is Left of Democracy?

 

If These Students Are Terrorists, Then What Is Left of Democracy?

Hindi Version: https://rakeshinsightfulgaze.blogspot.com/2026/06/blog-post_24.html

Over the past few days, India has witnessed a disturbing spectacle at Jantar Mantar.

Young students, many of whom claim to have spent years preparing for examinations and government jobs, have gathered to protest examination scandals, paper leaks, and what they see as the systematic collapse of accountability in India's education system. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), led by Abhijeet Dipke, has transformed what began as online satire into a nationwide youth movement demanding answers from those in power. Reports from the protest site show students holding discussions, building a small library, distributing books, and demanding accountability through peaceful demonstrations. (The Times of India)

Yet instead of addressing the questions being raised, the focus appears to have shifted toward controlling, restricting, and discrediting the protesters.

One of the most troubling incidents reported from Jantar Mantar involved individuals attempting to bring water and food to protesters being subjected to Aadhaar verification checks. When challenged, Delhi Police officials initially denied such reports. However, after videos emerged, questions were raised publicly, leading to assurances that such incidents would not continue. During one exchange, Abhijeet Dipke was heard asking a question that resonated with many observers:

"Do people need a visa to come to Jantar Mantar?" (The Times of India)

It is a fair question. Jantar Mantar is not a military installation. It is not a restricted security zone. It is one of the few designated places in the national capital where citizens can exercise their democratic right to protest.

If citizens require identification checks simply to provide water to peaceful demonstrators, then the issue is no longer merely about law and order. It becomes a question about the shrinking space available for democratic dissent.

Even more troubling are reports and videos circulating online that show confrontations and alleged assaults involving protesters. Many participants and observers have accused supporters of the ruling party of attempting to intimidate students. Whether every allegation is proven or not, the larger question remains unanswered:

Why are students protesting educational failures finding themselves in physical confrontations at all?

If the state can deploy extensive police forces, drones, cameras, barricades, and surveillance around Jantar Mantar, surely it can also ensure that peaceful protesters are protected from intimidation and violence. (www.ndtv.com)

The most shocking development, however, may have come from the political response itself.

According to widely circulated reports and video clips, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan referred to the movement in terms that protesters interpreted as linking them to terrorism. The response from the students was immediate and emotional. Many asked a simple question:

When students demand accountability for paper leaks, unemployment, and educational corruption, how do they become terrorists? (The Times of India)

This is where the government may be making a serious political mistake. Governments rarely fear a few hundred students sitting at Jantar Mantar. What governments fear is the possibility that those students represent millions of frustrated young Indians who feel ignored.

A student in Bihar understands paper leaks. A student in Uttar Pradesh understands recruitment delays. A student in Karnataka understands unemployment. A student in Punjab understands the growing gap between education and opportunity. This movement is dangerous to the political establishment not because it is violent, but because it speaks a language that millions of young Indians understand.

For years, political battles in India have been fought around religion, caste, region, and identity. The CJP has shifted the conversation toward something far more difficult for politicians to manage:

jobs, examinations, corruption, and accountability. Those issues do not divide young people. They unite them. That is why the protests matter. That is why every attempt to ridicule them matters. That is why every attempt to intimidate them matters.

And that is why every Indian whether they support the BJP, Congress, AAP, the Left, or no party at all should be concerned when peaceful protesters are treated as enemies rather than citizens.

Democracy does not die when governments face criticism. Democracy dies when governments begin seeing criticism itself as a threat. If students asking questions become "terrorists," then India faces a much larger problem than examination leaks. It faces a crisis of democratic accountability itself.