Counterview

By Kumar Krishnan*  Democracy is not defined merely by the regularity of elections, but also by the lens through which a government views the dissent of its citizens. When the young take to the streets over their future, the state faces two paths before it—dialogue or repression. History tells us that dialogue strengthens democracy, while repression only postpones discontent; it does not end it.

By Prem Singh*  A friend recently asked me for my views on the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar. When I remained silent, he remarked that he had been waiting for my comment for several days. I gave him my usual response: "I have long since given up the task of saving the country." Smiling, he replied that he had heard this many times before and asked me to explain.

By Vikas Meshram*  Youth adolescence, that first bloom of one's prime, is an extraordinarily beautiful, alluring, delicate and fluid state of being. It is an age that meets a thousand new challenges and tests them for itself, an age as tender as it is resilient.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  Every generation gets the India it deserves—but this one is demanding the India it was promised. For too long, students and young people have been dismissed by older generations as apolitical, self-absorbed, and glued to screens, too distracted to care about the nation’s direction. This condescending stereotype has suited the ruling classes just fine. It has allowed them to underfund education, neglect science-based learning, and undermine secular institutions—without fear of pushback from the very demographic that should matter most.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The people of this country must be far more careful the next time someone invokes Gandhi and sits on a fast for a public cause. It is important not to elevate every protester into a Gandhi or a Bhagat Singh. Time and again, people have been betrayed because Gandhism itself has often been used as a tool to manage contradictions and confuse public opinion. It is also a fact that fasting has historically been a practice associated with dominant castes, and not the political path of Ambedkar, Phule, or Periyar.

By Bharat Dogra   Across India’s cities, coaching institutes have mushroomed at breakneck speed—not through careful planning, but through a reckless pursuit of profit. In this gold rush, safety has been the first casualty. Congested buildings, never designed for mass instruction, now pack in hundreds of students with woefully inadequate fire exits, overloaded electrical systems, and staircases that choke at the first sign of rush hour.

By Ram Puniyani*  A sit-in protest is currently underway outside Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur. The university is run by the Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust, chaired by Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who is presently in jail. Students are protesting a notice issued by the Rampur Development Authority (RDA), directing the demolition of 38 out of the university's 40 buildings. If implemented, the order would effectively shut down the university.

By Lathamala   Peaceful protest has always been central to India's democratic tradition. From the freedom struggle onwards, non-violent demonstrations, hunger strikes, writing, theatre and satire have been used to question injustice and hold governments accountable. Every government has, at different times, tried to control dissent, but the space for peaceful protest has narrowed considerably in recent years.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan   The recent crackdown on students protesting under the banner of the Campaign for Judicial and Public Justice (CJP) has once again ignited a national debate on accountability, democratic rights, and the functioning of India's education system. Images of injured students, heavy police deployment, and confrontations near Parliament have sparked outrage among opposition parties, civil society groups, and thousands of citizens who believe that peaceful dissent should never be met with excessive force.

By A Representative   On the 84th anniversary of the Quit India Movement, the Youth Socialist Initiative (YSI) staged a mass public rally at Jantar Mantar on July 19, issuing a sharp indictment of what they term the "merchants of education" and demanding a complete reversal of the privatization, commercialization, and globalization of India’s educational system.

By A Representative   A group of academics, former diplomats, retired civil servants, writers, and activists has issued two public representations expressing concern over the indefinite hunger strike led by education and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, urging the Union government to engage in dialogue with protesting students and address concerns over alleged irregularities in national examinations.

By Vikas Meshram*  Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike has reached a dramatic and troubling turning point. After more than twenty days of fasting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, the 59‑year‑old activist was removed from the protest site early Saturday morning and taken to Safdarjung Hospital. According to Delhi Police, the action was taken “in accordance with the orders of the High Court and on expert medical advice due to the deteriorating health condition of Sonam Wangchuk.” 

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan*  The recent demolition order affecting a significant portion of the buildings at Mohammad Ali Jauhar University (MAJU), Rampur, has once again brought into focus a question that extends far beyond the boundaries of one institution. It raises a larger constitutional and moral dilemma: how should a democratic society enforce the rule of law without jeopardizing the educational future of thousands of students?

By A Representative   The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has appealed to the protesters on hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, including activist Sonam Wangchuk and protesting students, to consider ending their fast while reaffirming its support for their demand that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign over alleged failures in the education system.

By Martin Macwan *  Dear Colleague Sonam Wangchuk, I have never met you personally. I wrote a short article at the time of your arrest. Your work correctly introduces you. There is truth in your words. You have embarked on a fast, following the footsteps of Gandhiji. Your intention is to make people think. Your demand is reasonable; I believe that the resignation of a single education minister will not improve the state of education in India. However, the question you have raised is extremely important for the future generation of the marginalized. Education is the key to power, development, and progress, which empowers a citizen.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  Human beings and their societies established universities and institutions of higher learning to challenge orthodox knowledge, advance new discoveries, and overcome the pressing challenges of their time. Social, economic, and political necessities, along with human curiosity, formed the foundations upon which these centres of higher learning were built. They were designed to produce knowledge and skills tailored to the specific needs of their people, places, and historical contexts.

By Dr. P.K. Gupta*  Medical education in India has undergone a profound transformation over the last four decades. What was once a system primarily driven by merit and public service has increasingly become a marketplace where financial capacity often determines opportunity. The rapid expansion of private medical colleges since the early 1990s has undoubtedly increased the number of seats, but it has also introduced commercial incentives that critics argue have weakened the traditional values of professionalism, academic excellence, and social responsibility in medical education.

By Raqif Makhdoomi*  A 13-second video of a Kashmiri schoolboy commenting on the delay in announcing summer vacations has gone viral on social media, generating widespread discussion. The clip has attracted both praise and criticism. While some viewers argue that the student was exercising his right to express dissatisfaction with a government decision, others believe that his choice of words lacked the discipline and respect expected from a child.

By Harasankar Adhikari*  The vision of India’s founding thinkers—Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar—placed education at the heart of human development. For Vivekananda, education was about man-making and character-building, essential for national progress. Tagore championed an inclusive, research-driven education that served life first and careers later. Vidyasagar saw education as a means to empower the marginalised and eradicate social superstition. These ideals, however, stand in sharp contrast to the current realities of private higher education in West Bengal.

By A Representative   Business inflation expectations for the year ahead fell sharply in May 2026, yet firms reported a significant worsening in sales and profit margins, according to the latest Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES) conducted by the Misra Centre for Financial Markets and Economy at IIM-A .