A democracy is tested not when its institutions enjoy public confidence, but when citizens challenge them. The escalating confrontation in Delhi over electoral-roll revisions presents India with precisely this test. What began as a youth-led campaign has expanded into a broader struggle over voting rights, freedom of assembly and the accountability of institutions entrusted with protecting democratic processes.

The repeated detention of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders, the sweeping restrictions imposed on demonstrators and the withdrawal of Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest site suggest an increasingly coercive approach to public dissent. Authorities have responsibilities to maintain order, prevent violence and regulate demonstrations. But those responsibilities cannot justify measures so extensive that peaceful assembly becomes near impossible. Closing metro stations, disrupting transport and deploying overwhelming force to prevent people from reaching a protest site risk making the restrictions themselves a source of public anger. The decision to remove Jantar Mantar ~ a site picked after previous governments found Boat Club and the India Gate lawns too close for comfort ~ from the list of designated protest venues is troubling.

A democratic government should facilitate peaceful demonstrations........

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