Rights and wrongs: On the fundamental right to peaceful assembly and protest
This editorial criticizes the Indian government for its heavy-handed police response to peaceful protests in Delhi, arguing that such actions undermine fundamental democratic rights. It highlights the detention of activists and journalists, noting that these measures contradict both constitutional guarantees and recent Supreme Court directives.
Why it matters
The piece highlights a significant tension between state security measures and the preservation of civil liberties in the world's largest democracy.
The Constitution of India guarantees all citizens the fundamental right to peaceful assembly and protest. The right to organise, assemble, and speak is at the core of democracy, and the curtailment of any of the fundamental rights is a curtailment of democracy itself. That being the promise of the Constitution to every citizen, regardless of gender, caste, or status, it is unsettling that the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is brazenly knocking down those rights through police high-handedness across the country, particularly in Delhi, the capital. Youth and student organisations, such as the CJP, the AISA, SFI and AISF, had called for a peaceful protest on October 10 .
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