Mohini Daljeet Singh

Has the Government so completely abandoned its duty of accountability that it now relies on detention to silence those who demand it? At Jantar Mantar, young citizens exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest, even while waving the national Tricolour, find themselves in judicial custody. At India Gate, the grieving parents of Ankita Bhandari, seeking justice for their daughter, are detained at 4 in the morning, alongside Congress workers who stood in solidarity with them. A protester is not an offender. A grieving parent is not a threat. The distinction should not need explaining to those entrusted with governing. What threat to public order do peaceful protesters pose? What purpose is served by subjecting bereaved parents, already enduring an unimaginable tragedy, to such indignity? The Constitution does not guarantee citizens the right to protest only when their questions are convenient to those in power. That right is not conditional upon the Government’s approval. Nor can it be restricted merely because its exercise causes discomfort. The power to detain is not the power to silence. The demand for justice does not end at the gates of a police station. Nor does the courage to speak out disappear at the threat of arrest. The people of this country have never needed permission to stand up for what is right. And they must never be made to believe otherwise. @INCIndia