Police action in Jantar Mantar had damaged India's democratic image internationally

Police action had damaged India's democratic image internationally.

By: Jameel Aahmed Milansaar, Bangalore

When a democracy begins to fear peaceful dissent more than it fears injustice, it silently starts surrendering its moral authority. The police action against Sonam Wangchuk and fellow protesters at Jantar Mantar was not merely an administrative decision—it was a moment that cast an uncomfortable shadow over India's democratic conscience.

Democracy is not measured by the number of elections a nation conducts but by the dignity it affords those who disagree with the government. A state that responds to a peaceful hunger strike with barricades, detentions, and coercive force risks replacing constitutional dialogue with the language of intimidation. Such actions may temporarily suppress a protest, but they amplify questions that echo far beyond national borders.

The world has long admired India as the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violent resistance. It is therefore deeply ironic that a nation which inspired global civil rights movements now finds itself criticised for its treatment of peaceful demonstrators. Images of protesters being restrained travel faster than official explanations, shaping international opinion in ways no diplomatic communiqué can undo.

Sonam Wangchuk's protest was not a call for confrontation but an appeal to conscience. Whether one agrees with his demands or not, the democratic response should have been engagement, not suppression. Democracies mature through dialogue, not detention; through listening, not silencing.

The true strength of a republic lies not in its ability to disperse crowds but in its willingness to hear inconvenient voices. Police power can clear a protest site, but it cannot erase the questions that gave birth to the protest in the first place. Every baton raised against peaceful dissent chips away at the credibility of constitutional governance and weakens the trust between the citizen and the State.

India's global stature has been built not merely on economic growth or geopolitical influence but on the enduring promise of pluralism, civil liberties, and democratic values. Any action that appears to criminalise peaceful protest risks tarnishing that hard-earned reputation. Nations are judged not only by how they celebrate patriotism but also by how they tolerate criticism.

History rarely remembers those who wielded authority against peaceful voices with admiration. Instead, it honours those who protected the right to dissent, even when dissent was uncomfortable. Governments come and go, but the democratic values they preserve—or diminish—remain their lasting legacy.

If India wishes to continue inspiring the world as the world's largest democracy, it must remember a timeless truth: the image of a democracy is protected not by the force of its police, but by the freedom of its people to speak without fear.