The struggle is on and will continue relentlessly until truth and justice triumph. Of that there is no doubt. It may well be a long-haul struggle, but few seem to bother about that; after all, India’s freedom struggle was a long, drawn-out affair too.
It is the festival season of Dussehra. Respecting the sentiments and interpretations of all, this is essentially a time when we underline the victory of good over evil, truth over untruth, transparency over corruption, harmony over communalism, and light over darkness. One cannot deny, negate or ignore this incontrovertible fact. The struggle for the soul of India is exactly that.
Yes, the winds of change are blowing in Delhi and, in fact, all over the country. The change is in the air: palpable, vibrant and far from the pollution to which we have become so accustomed, particularly in cities like Delhi. These “winds of change” are a movement, a struggle. Gen Z is the face of this movement, supported by Gen Y, the Millennials, with Gen Alpha not wanting to be left out. There are thousands of them, most of them unknown, but in keeping with the spirit of what is happening, some are the visible faces—vocal and articulate—of the new freedom struggle that has gripped the nation. They are not alone. Thousands of others are in solidarity with them: farmers and lawyers, casual labourers and homemakers, academics and media personnel, the old and the young, politicians belonging to opposition parties and the whole range of civil society members. They are all determined to usher in a new chapter in the country’s history. Despite the regime using brute force and every rotten act from its dirty bag of tricks, they are not cowed down. Their heads are held high. They are confident that they will overcome.
One experienced this in Delhi in recent days. The evening of 16 September was, in some ways, the pièce de résistance. Despite prohibitory orders, thousands gathered in and around Connaught Place responding to a call from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) to “Lehra do tiranga.” They came with the national flag in droves, singing and chanting, shouting slogans like “Inquilab Zindabad!” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai!” Protesters held a 270-foot-long tricolour in a human wave in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Among those who joined the march was 93-year-old Devaki Jain, a retired economist, who did not mince words when she spoke to the media, justifying her presence in the protests.
A police force of more than 6,000 was deployed in the area. They did their best to crush the protest, as they have tried to do over the past few days. They managed to detain a few. Abhijeet Dipke was detained and then arrested as he planned to head to Connaught Place for the march. Neha Bora, the All India Students Association leader, was detained from the Mandi House area while she was protesting. Until very late at night, she was taken to some far-off destination and finally released. Abhijeet was ordered by a local court to provide a Rs 50,000 bond and declare that he would not disrupt peace. On the morning of Saturday, 17 September, he came out of the Mandir Marg police station and shared a photo of Shah Rukh Khan’s character in tears in the film Veer-Zaara (2004), upon being released after 22 years in a Pakistani jail. He captioned it: “How it feels walking out of jail after 24 hours with no wifi and phone.” Two CJP leaders, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, were sent to judicial custody for apparently trespassing at Jantar Mantar, which was recently denotified as a protest venue. A magistrate ordered their release late in the evening on 21 October, after they had spent seven days in jail.
The regime is in panic mode—desperate. It is sparing no effort to quell the resistance. Delhi is like a city under siege: most areas that could be used for protests are barricaded. A few days ago, the authorities shut down the metro and jammed the internet in the protest areas. More than 26,000 Central Armed Police Forces personnel have been brought in for round-the-clock duty. Simply unbelievable. The fascist regime is attacking and at war with its own citizens.
Though unacceptable, it is understandable: the citizens of India have the truth and are demanding justice. That is a bitter pill for the regime to swallow.
On 14 October, an emergency Consultation and Collaboration meeting was held to strengthen and widen the anti-SIR movement and take it forward. It was held at Surjeet Bhavan, with more than 200 national- and state-level organisations participating, including youth organisations, farmers’ groups such as the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, and civil society forces. The meeting resolved to carry the struggle forward until it reaches its logical conclusion and to expand it across the country.
A national-level network was formed under the name “People Against SIR.” The first ground action, “The People’s March to Reclaim Democracy,” is to take place on 23 October. It marks the beginning of a united struggle by the people of India until Gyanesh Kumar is prosecuted, illegal SIR is scrapped, the voting rights of every genuine citizen of India are restored, and the Election Commissioners Act 2023 is amended. The call is to march with the tricolour in hand to district and tehsil headquarters, state capitals and the national capital, asserting people’s unity against the authoritarianism of the Modi-Shah regime. All mass and class organisations and civil society platforms are expected to actively mobilise and participate in this peaceful gathering for the democratic rights fought for and won by innumerable heroes in our struggle for independence from British colonialism. The captions and slogans, the posters and memes, have gone out far and wide: “Every village is Jantar Mantar, every street is Jantar Mantar, every home is Jantar Mantar.” “In Every Hand Tiranga, Every Street Jantar Mantar.” “Har Haath Mein Tiranga, Har Gali Jantar Mantar.”
The demands of this nationwide protest are clear:
- Gyanesh Kumar must be removed and prosecuted.
- SIR must be scrapped, and all deleted voters must be restored to the voter rolls.
- The conspiratorial amendment to the Election Commissioners Act 2023 should be repealed.
- A new Election Commission must be appointed through an unbiased process; there must be a just revision of the voter rolls; a return to paper ballot; and fair elections through election reforms.
The signatories to this campaign include Neha Bora, Aishe Ghosh, Viraj Devang and Abhijeet Dipke, and it is supported by eminent citizens such as Prashant Bhushan, Anjali Bharadwaj, Prakash Raj, Ganesh Devy, Tushar Gandhi, Parakala Prabhakar and Rakesh Tikait. Their flyer, which is going viral, states: “All power to the People. Constitution will prevail! Conspiracy will fail!”
On 15 October, there was a hearing by the Independent Commission for SIR at Jawahar Bhawan. The Independent Commission consists of five eminent former judges. Ground reports and testimonies from affected people in Karnataka, Delhi, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal and Odisha were presented. The investigative work carried out in Karnataka by the Nagarika Mata Kavalu Samiti, the Citizens’ Committee for Safeguarding the Vote, attracted particular attention. Distinctive and eye-opening testimonies were presented. After collecting evidence from all the states, the Commission will deliver its verdict.
That afternoon, there was a historic press conference addressed by Neha Bora, Abhijeet Dipke, Aishe Ghosh, Tara Rao, Prashant Bhushan, Anjali Bharadwaj, Prakash Raj and others. The media conference was packed to capacity—national and international. Those who spoke did so with great conviction, providing new hope to a battered nation. They issued a direct challenge to the Modi government. It was a clear expression of the emergence of a new phase in the movement. Unfortunately, Republic TV, true to its style, tried to heckle and enter into confrontation with the speakers. The rest of the media could not accept this and literally threw them out of the Press Club.
These past few days in Delhi have galvanised the energy of the youth together with all sections of society into a newer and more determined way ahead. They have effectively used the media to challenge the regime. Eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan declared: “Yes, changing the government is the goal of our struggle. It is not merely our right but our duty, and we will ensure that it is done.”
Many will resonate with the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who once said: “I am but a poor struggling soul yearning to be wholly good, wholly truthful and wholly non-violent in thought, word and deed, but ever failing to reach the ideal which I know to be true. It is a painful climb, but each step upwards makes me feel stronger and fit for the next.”
There is an interesting and highly contextual meme doing the rounds. It says: “Democracy keeps political authority open to revision: Governments can be dismissed, policies reconsidered, institutions reformed and inherited relations of domination challenged. In this sense, change belongs to democracy’s essential character.”
That, in a way, sums up the current happenings: the struggle is on; the struggle will continue till the very end—till justice and truth prevail!
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*Human rights, reconciliation and peace activist, trainer and writer
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