Counterview

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 A Representative   The National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) has condemned what it described as the "brutal and unprovoked" police action against peaceful students, youth, parents and citizens who gathered at Jantar Mantar and nearby areas in New Delhi on July 20 to protest against alleged failures in the country's public examination and education system. In a statement issued on July 23, the organisation alleged that the police response represented a serious assault on democratic rights and called for accountability, judicial inquiries and dialogue with protesters.

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  The discontent over India's education and public recruitment examination system has now taken the shape of a wide-ranging social and political movement. For nearly a month, thousands of students and young people have been protesting peacefully. Their central demand is that accountability be fixed for the deepening crisis in the education system and in public recruitment and competitive examinations, and that transparency and credibility be restored to the examination process.

By A Representative   Multiple civil society organisations, lawyers' bodies, religious groups, feminist collectives and rights groups have issued strongly worded statements condemning the police crackdown on student protesters at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, even as concerns mount over press freedom, custodial violence and the safety of demonstrators demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

By Ravi Ranjan*  Kedarnath Singh's poem 'Banaras' cannot be adequately understood merely as a cultural, historical, or urban meditation. The poem constructs an experiential structure in which place, time, memory, the body, language, and cultural consciousness together forge a comprehensive lived experience. Reading the poem through phenomenology proves particularly fitting for grasping its inner architecture.

By Harsh Thakor*  Graham Bradley, one of the most gifted and controversial jump jockeys of his generation, recently died at the age of 65 after a five-year battle with semantic dementia. The rider, affectionately known as 'Brad' to his peers, passed away peacefully with his wife Amanda and daughter Georgia May at his side. His career was a tapestry of extraordinary highs and damaging lows, but his talent in the saddle was never in question.

By Rajiv Shah   Away from my home (Ahmedabad) in the United States, I have been staying in Los Angeles for quite some time. "Los Angeles" is Spanish for "The Angels." Founded in 1781, the city was originally named El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles , which translates as The Town of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels—a reference to the Virgin Mary.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The police brutality unleashed against peaceful protesters at Jantar Mantar is neither new nor exceptional. It reflects a structural problem in our policing system. The police have long served those in power, often becoming instruments of political authority rather than protectors of citizens' rights. The difference today is that earlier governments, at least occasionally, held the police accountable for unlawful actions. Today, however, the government itself appears increasingly driven by the bureaucracy and the police establishment.

By Vijay Prashad   On 20 July, thousands of young people attempted to march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament. They carried placards, shouted slogans, and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over repeated examination irregularities, paper leaks, cancelled tests, and the government’s refusal to accept responsibility for the devastation inflicted upon students. The Delhi Police answered them with barricades, batons, and tear gas. Some protesters were detained, while others reorganised themselves into smaller groups and continued towards Parliament. The movement had crossed an important threshold: what began as satire on social media had entered the streets as a confrontation with state power.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  Bloodied faces, battered bodies and broken bones stood in stark contrast to the remarkable resilience of students and young people who filled the streets of Delhi. Amid pain and fear, many continued to smile, refusing to abandon their commitment to non-violent protest. Their determination offers hope in a political climate increasingly defined by intolerance, repression and unaccountable governance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.