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The Lehra Do Tiranga (wave the tricolour) protest at Connaught Place, New Delhi on the evening of Friday (October 16) somehow felt inspiring and ridiculous at the same time. Ridiculous because of the presence of more than 25,000 police and paramilitary forces in Connaught Place, but inspiring because thousands of ordinary citizens young and old came out to wave the tricolour despite the very real possibility of violence and detention.

Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke and All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora were forcibly detained before they even reached Connaught place, (they are released now) but this did not deter thousands from waving the national flag, draping it across their shoulders and marching around Connaught Place. The fact that Central Park was shut down for two days due to “administrative reasons” also did not matter.

Aryan, a 20-year-old student standing near Palika Bazaar, asked a pertinent question about the massive police deployment.

“Where was this force when Manipur needed it ? A woman is being raped somewhere in India even as we stand here and speak, so why isn’t this force preventing that? Why is it being deployed to try to scare peaceful Indians who simply want to stand with their flag? If the people in power can’t show any accountability, at least they should allow us to ask for that accountability peacefully on the streets.”

“Where was this force when Manipur needed it ? A woman is being raped somewhere in India even as we stand here and speak, so why isn’t this force preventing that? Why is it being deployed to try to scare peaceful Indians who simply want to stand with their flag? If the people in power can’t show any accountability, at least they should allow us to ask for that accountability peacefully on the streets.”

He also addressed the objection that these protests disrupt business during the festive season.

“What about the disruption that this government’s policies are causing in every other corner of the country? Have you stopped to ask why we are protesting? All said and done, the business owners here are established. But the youth of India who have their whole lives ahead of them can’t see any hope for their future under this government. Can’t you see that? And now they aren’t allowed to even wave the tricolour!”

“What about the disruption that this government’s policies are causing in every other corner of the country? Have you stopped to ask why we are protesting? All said and done, the business owners here are established. But the........

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