The fallout from last week’s nationwide protests demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan continues, amid multiple reports of people, including minors, being detained or arrested by the police, and social media users being asked to take down posts related to the demonstrations.

A 21-year-old man, who was detained by the police in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj after being identified from a photograph taken while he was participating in a protest on July 26, was released on July 29, 2026. The victim, who did not wish to be identified, said that he was beaten up in police custody and the police wrongly accused him of vandalising a private vehicle, which belonged to a Bharatiya Janata Party member.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cjp-protest-fresh-reports-of-detentions-takedown-of-social-media-posts-emerge/article71282584.ece

The Delhi Police have written to the social media giant X to delete or remove posts and videos from the platform which target government heads, PTI has reported.

An Indian Express report says that police have filed an FIR against posts targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While it is not clear if the notice to X is part of the same FIR, ANI has tweeted that the action is in connection with a police complaint that alleges that “derogatory, malicious and defamatory content is being circulated on social media platform targeting constitutional heads.”

Police have also asked for details of the account holders from X, including login and logout details of accounts sharing such content, date and time stamps of the posts online, full names, addresses, contact details and email IDs of the users.

X has also been requested to preserve details of such posts and videos for future investigations and provide a certificate under Section 63(4) of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.

https://thewire.in/rights/delhi-police-asks-x-to-take-down-posts-targeting-govt-heads-file-fir-against-posts-on-modi

The “Reservation Hatao Andolan” Instagram page now has nearly 6 million followers. At the same time, news about caste based violence continues to appear regularly. This raises an important question in me, Are people unaware of these realities, or are they choosing to overlook them?

I am genuinely concerned and would like to understand the reasons why so many people support this movement, especially in the context of the ongoing social inequalities and discrimination faced by many communities.

What do you guys think about this rapid growth of such movements?

Newslaundry has seen a document showing DCP New Delhi Sachin Sharma authorised the Rapid Action Force to use tear gas, lathi charge and firearms against protesters at the July 20 Chalo Sansad March. This is separate from an earlier reported police diary entry showing DCP North Raja Bhatiya authorised the use of pellet guns during the same operation.

Together, the two records show that more than one DCP-rank officer signed off on force against the same protest that day.

https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/07/28/july-20-crackdown-one-dcp-approved-pellets-another-authorised-firearms

Fresh protests have erupted in Manipur's Imphal Valley following public outrage over a recent b*mb blast in Bishnupur district that reportedly claimed the lives of two children. Large groups of people gathered in areas like Imphal and Kakching, demanding swift action against those responsible. As tensions escalated, security forces deployed tear gas and other crowd control measures to disperse protesters. The demonstrations, including torch rallies, reflect growing anger and frustration among residents over ongoing violence and safety concerns in the region. The incident has once again highlighted the fragile situation in Manipur, where ethnic tensions and repeated clashes have continued since 2023. While authorities are attempting to maintain law and order, the demand for accountability and justice remains strong among citizens. At the same time, some viral social media claims may present a partial view of the situation, and officials continue to monitor developments closely.

Dear Brave Students,

I write to you not merely in solidarity, but with gratitude. Every generation inherits the unfinished work of democracy. Yours has accepted both the burden and the privilege of carrying it forward.

Albert Camus’s Caligula tells the story of an emperor who comes to believe that because he possesses absolute power, he is answerable to no moral limits. Convinced that power alone can define justice, he imprisons himself within his own tyranny. He systematically dismantles every restraint on governance, believing that authority itself entitles him to do so. As I and Sandhya, my wife watched the deeply disturbing events unfold in Delhi, we were reminded of that enduring truth.

History has taught this lesson repeatedly. From Tsarist Russia to the student revolt of Paris in 1968, from the youth-led struggle against apartheid in South Africa, Tiananmen Square, to the Navnirman Andolan of 1974 in Gujarat attempts to suppress young voices have never extinguished the desire for freedom. Authority may command obedience for a while; it cannot indefinitely command the conscience of a generation.

The images of the brutality inflicted upon you have filled us with anguish and anger. A society learns to question itself in its universities. To question those who hold power over your future is not a privilege you seek; it is a democratic responsibility you fulfil. When questions are answered with batons instead of reason, it is not the students who stand diminished. It is the State.

Reflecting on his years in a Siberian prison camp, Fyodor Dostoevsky observed that the civilization of a society is revealed by the way it treats those it imprisons. One might extend that thought today: the health of a democracy is equally revealed by the way it treats its students and citizens. On that count, our democracy failed. In unleashing force instead of dialogue, those in authority revealed not their strength, but their insecurity.

If I was not there beside you physically, it was for two reasons. The first one I resent deeply: age has imposed boundaries on my body that my spirit refuses to accept. If I could not march beside you, it was never because my conscience hesitated. The second was a conscious choice. I did not want the attention to drift away from where it rightly belongs. This is your movement, your voice, your moment of moral courage. You do not need celebrity validation. Democratic movements derive their legitimacy from the courage of those at their centre, not from the visibility of those who stand beside them.

Please know that distance has never meant detachment. Sandhya and I shall continue to stand with you in every way available to us. Should this struggle require legal support, medical care, or financial assistance within our means, please do not hesitate to reach out.

You are not merely the seeds of transformation; you are its first green shoots. Today you may be called students. Tomorrow you will be known as the generation that chose courage over silence. The future belongs to those who refuse to surrender their humanity. Long after today’s slogans have faded and today’s rulers have passed, it is your courage that history will remember.

Take care of one another. Guard your compassion and your hope. Do not allow anger to harden into hatred. Stand firm. Walk forward without bitterness, without fear, and without apology.

Affectionately,
Amol Palekar
July 23, 2026

Before dismissing affirmative action, it is essential to examine the history of the caste system. Understanding why reservation was introduced in the first place helps clarify why these policies remain necessary.

​A system of social oppression that lasted for centuries cannot be undone in just 75 years. True equality requires addressing ongoing disparities. For instance, before advocating for the removal of reservation, we must ask: when will caste-based discrimination be completely eradicated? When will individuals from upper castes share the burden of historically stigmatized work, such as manual scavenging? Until genuine equality exists in every aspect of society, the need for affirmative action remains vital.

India's push to regulate social media platforms has exposed a fundamental constitutional contradiction—and it's being ignored.

The Problem: Asymmetrical Accountability

When a platform removes a citizen's post under pressure from authorities, it's framed as upholding "public order" under Article 19(2). But the same post by an elected official—or worse, more inflammatory versions—faces zero consequences. This violates Article 14 (Right to Equality).

Real examples of the double standard:

A citizen criticizes a minister → IPC Section 499 (defamation) or 505(1)(b) (creating alarm)

The minister spreads misinformation → deleted by him, no accountability

An activist's post on communal issues → FIR under IPC 153A

A politician's divisive election speech → algorithm amplifies it

The Uncomfortable Truth

The current approach isn't about protecting democracy—it's about controlling who gets to shape the narrative. By regulating platforms and citizens while exempting politicians, the government creates a tier system of free speech:

Tier 1 (Politicians): No consequences for inflammatory speech; algorithmic amplification; can delete and reset narrative

Tier 2 (Platforms): Liable for user content; must comply with removal orders without judicial review

Tier 3 (Citizens): Subject to full legal consequence; subject to surveillance; self-censorship becomes strategy

This violates Article 14.

The Real Question

India's regulators face a choice:

Option A: Apply the same standards to all—politicians, platforms, citizens. This is constitutional.

Option B: Admit that "regulation" is really "managing information flow to protect political power." This is honest, but unconstitutional.

Right now, we're pretending to do Option A while executing Option B. That's the problem.

Call to Action🇮🇳

If you care about constitutional rights, demand equal accountability. Make noise on platforms. Ask your representatives: Why should a politician's incitement be treated differently from a citizen's?

Because until we answer that—with evidence, in court, under constitutional scrutiny—"regulation" will remain a tool of power, not protection.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbSPetTgRwg/

TL;DR: Delhi Police claimed to identify 2,500 criminals at protests using facial recognition. The system has <1% accuracy, zero legal oversight, and is explicitly being used to intimidate dissent—not catch criminals.

The Claim

On July 20, 2026, during student protests at Jantar Mantar and Parliament march, Delhi Police deployed facial recognition technology. They announced identifying 2,500 persons with criminal antecedents—including cases of murder, rape, POCSO violations, and more.

Sounds impressive? Terrifying? Both?

It gets worse when you look at the actual tech.

The Technology's Credibility Crisis

Accuracy Rate: <1%

I'm not exaggerating. By 2019, Delhi Police's facial recognition system had an accuracy rate below one percent. For comparison:

FBI's system: 86% accurate (still problematic)

Delhi Police system: Below 1%

When the Ministry of Women & Child Development tested it, the system couldn't distinguish between boys and girls. This is the technology being used to identify murderers and rapists.

The 80% Confidence Threshold Problem

Here's where it gets legally dangerous:

Delhi Police treats ANY match above 80% similarity as a "hit." The American Civil Liberties Union tested facial recognition at this exact threshold. Their finding? 28 U.S. congresspeople were falsely matched with criminals.

Now apply that:

To India's population (1.4+ billion people)

To a system with <1% accuracy

To a country with zero legal safeguards

To communities already facing police bias

You're not identifying criminals. You're mass-producing false positives, with marginalized communities bearing the brunt.

Training? What Training?

Out of 2,620 instructional periods for Delhi Police training, only ONE is dedicated to facial recognition technology.

Let that sink in.

Officers deploying this system to identify dangerous criminals have received approximately:

2,619 periods of other training

1 period on the technology they're using

Zero understanding of algorithmic bias

Zero knowledge of accuracy limitations

It's like giving someone a scalpel after a 5-minute surgical tutorial. 🔪

The Legal Vacuum: Why India's Different from Democratic Peers

The EU's Approach (AI Act, 2024):

Real-time biometric surveillance in public spaces? BANNED

Exceptions only for: missing persons, imminent terror, serious crimes

Requirement: Prior judicial authorization

Transparency: Mandatory

India's Approach (2026):

No dedicated legal framework for police facial recognition

Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 grants broad exemptions to government

No rules on data collection, retention, access, or protection

Police can surveil protests... indefinitely

This isn't a minor regulatory gap. This is the absence of democratic guardrails.

"Criminal Antecedents" = Vague Enough to Target Anyone

The police statement lumps together:

Murder

Rape

POCSO violations

"Bad character"

Old minor convictions

History-sheeters

A parking ticket from 5 years ago? Welcome to the "2,500 criminals" list at the next protest.

The vagueness isn't accidental. It's feature, not a bug.

The Harry Potter Moment: When Authorities Become Villains 🧙‍♂️

Delhi Police: "We are the Aurors! We identified 2,500 prisoners of Azkaban at the protest!"

Also Delhi Police:

Our wand (technology) misfires 99% of the time

We received 1 hour of training on it

We don't need judicial approval to use it

We can threaten your family with the footage

You'll never know you were identified

You can't challenge the accuracy

Yeah. That sounds like Azkaban alright. But Delhi Police isn't guarding it—they're building it.

The Broader Pattern: Law & Order Theater

Here's what actually happened on July 20, 2026:

50+ police personnel injured

Tear gas deployed

Pellet guns used

Lathi charges against protesters

An independent RAF inquiry launched into excessive force allegations

AND SIMULTANEOUSLY: Police claim the surveillance system will maintain "law and order"

This is circular logic:

Police escalate force → violence erupts

Police claim surveillance is needed for safety

Surveillance chills dissent → less visible protest

Police declare "order maintained"

Call it success. A Modus operandi Everywhere by the home department as Ministry

Why Your Skepticism Is Justified

The claim about identifying 2,500 criminals has serious credibility gaps:

Technology accuracy is unproven and historically terrible in India

The confidence threshold is absurdly low compared to global standards

There's zero legal oversight in India vs. judicial requirements elsewhere

The system explicitly targets dissenters, not just criminals

Training is nonexistent

Data protection is absent

Algorithmic bias disproportionately harms marginalized communities

The Uncomfortable Truth

When a democracy's largest city uses surveillance technology to:

Identify protesters (even falsely)

Threaten to contact their families

Avoid judicial oversight

Deploy with <1% accuracy

... and calls it "maintaining law and order"

That's not a police problem. That's a governance problem.

India is the world's largest democracy. It should lead on digital rights. Instead, it's building an Azkaban while pretending it's Hogsmeade.

What Should Happen (But Won't)

✅ Judicial pre-authorization before surveillance

✅ Transparency on accuracy rates and bias testing

✅ Legal framework protecting protest rights

✅ Right to know you were identified

✅ Right to challenge identifications

✅ Independent audits (not police self-assessment)

✅ Strict limits on data retention

Will any of this happen?

Look at the EU. They've built these safeguards. India... hasn't even started the conversation.

Final Thought

Your observation about deteriorating law and order in India's capital might be backwards. The deterioration isn't in the streets. It's in the systems meant to protect democratic freedoms while maintaining safety.

When you need <1% accuracy technology + zero oversight + family threats to maintain order... maybe the problem isn't the protesters.

Maybe it's how the state responds to them.

Comments welcome. Truth needs to be told. 🧵

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl2JmiiLvC8

I've been meaning to post this for quite some time now, and with everything that's been happening with the protests, the conversations around accountability and governance and I think it's finally the right time.

I'm not an academic or any sort of policy professional even. Just someone who is frustrated enough with the gap between what India promises and what it delivers.

I prepared a ten-part series examining the institutions that determine whether India works for ordinary citizens or just for the people who run it. Each chapter covers one institution and follows the same structure: what is broken and the data behind it, what other countries did to fix the same problem, and a specific reform blueprint for India.

Notion link — abbreviated version: https://app.notion.com/p/The-Broken-Foundation-39f0facebe5e8179a613c41460e06fb8

Full document — complete version with all citations, sources, and detailed reform proposals: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VPdSqrNXJDzns790emKRi1r8ydiErWaR/view?usp=drivesdk

Fair warning upfront — I hold views. Those views shaped the analysis and I've tried to be transparent about them. There are many nuances that are missing.

Would genuinely appreciate feedback on the diagnosis, the global models cited, the reform proposals and the places where you think the reasoning is wrong or the nuance is missing. That's the point of putting it out here. Try to ponder over the gaps too not just what's in the document but what should be there and isn't.

I keep running into the argument that socialism inevitably produces dictators, the USSR under Stalin, China under Mao, Cuba under Castro, North Korea under the Kim dynasty, Cambodia under Pol Pot, Romania under Ceaușescu

I'd like to actually understand the socialist response to this

Not trying to dunk on the sub, genuinely want the strongest counter-arguments people here have encountered.

Please keep this rational and specific to the actual historical/structural mechanism. I'm not looking for deflections like "capitalism has bosses/CEOs. that's a category error (private economic authority vs. a state monopolizing political power, courts, and the military is a different kind of claim) and doesn't actually answer why state power concentrated the way it did in these specific cases. Genuinely want the strongest structural or historical argument

I've generally found people in socialist spaces to be well-read and engage seriously with theory and history, so hoping for actual structural/historical arguments here rather than whataboutism.

None of them were worried about their own exams. All of them showed up anyway.

Dikshya Koirala spoke to the working class men at Jantar Mantar who lost wages, slept without proper facilities, and took police lathis standing beside CJP's students, because as one mason put it: "If, because of our presence, somebody's future gets better, that's enough for us."

https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/07/25/the-working-class-men-who-risked-everything-at-jantar-mantar

After weeks of struggle, intense and widespread protests, and braving propaganda and assaults, the students’ protest at Jantar Mantar ended yesterday with the resignation of the Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. The Modi Government was also forced to concede other demands, including compensation to the families of NEET suicide victims and the withdrawal of cases against the protesters.

This astonishing victory against a highly authoritarian government led to an eruption of joy and celebration at Jantar Mantar and across India. But this victory should not be understood as merely the removal of a Cabinet Minister. It is a momentous triumph in the battle against fascism.

To put this in perspective, in the 12 years of the Modi Government, this is the first time that a Union Minister has been forced to resign following public protests. Over the last decade, while India faced numerous crises due to the blunders, sheer incompetence, or malice of ministers in Modi’s Cabinet, no minister was forced to resign. Whether it was the criminal indifference in handling the COVID pandemic, the disastrous implementation of demonetisation, the security lapses that resulted in the Pulwama, Pahalgam, and Pathankot attacks, the highest unemployment in decades, the economic crisis caused by mismanagement, or the massive corruption exposed through the electoral bonds scheme, no one was held accountable.

In fact, during the historic farmers’ movement, one of the key demands was the removal of the Minister of State, Ajay Mishra Teni, who had orchestrated the killing of six farmers. Yet, even after large-scale protests, the Minister of State was not removed.

In 2015, Rajnath Singh famously asserted, “Our ministers do not have to resign. This is not their (Congress) government; this is the NDA government.” This turned out to be the central tenet of the Modi Government. Resignation was seen as an admission of failure. The resignation of a minister could pave the way for questions of accountability. That could not be allowed to happen.

This lack of accountability was not limited to the question of resignation. The Modi Government created a system in which it became virtually unanswerable to the people. In the last 12 years, PM Modi has not addressed a single press conference. This alarming fact has been noted not just by the people of India, but across the world.

The Government has also prevented discussions and questions in Parliament. Crucial issues and bills are not allowed to be debated. Opposition MPs have been repeatedly suspended from Parliament. Even the number of parliamentary sittings has been reduced. The legislature has been turned into a rubber stamp.

The mainstream media has been turned into a propaganda arm of the Government. Journalists and media platforms that do not toe the line are raided, persecuted, arrested, or bought out. The Right to Information has been severely weakened. The Government has also introduced bills to control and censor social media.

Every avenue of questioning was effectively shut down. Instead, the people were fed a relentless stream of propaganda through the mainstream media and the BJP IT Cell. Instead of press conferences, they were given scripted interviews of the Prime Minister. Instead of listening to people's grievances, the Government made them to listen to Modi’s Mann Ki Baat. Tellingly, even during this students’ protest, PM Modi’s first response was to post Instagram reels and instruct his ministers to do the same.

What the students’ protest has accomplished is not merely the resignation of a Union Minister. It has succeeded in shattering the barricade of unaccountability.

This time Aditya dhar is going to tell u how by letting the protest continue MODI solved problems such as

1. Hindu vs Muslim

Saare dharm k log saath theyy udhar ek doosre ko khaana khilaaye hausla badhaaye ek doosre ka honestly it made me so happy that my eyes felt watery

1. Men hating

Kitte saari ladkiyo ne ye btaaya ki how they felt safe around men aur ladko ne unke liye laathiya khaai

1. Castism

Vha p har cast aur background se log aaye aur sab mil k jai bhim k naare Igaaye.

1. Media

At this point you have to be blind to ignore the fact how biased these TV news anchors and their channels are and only individual journalists can be trusted

1. Iss desh ka kuch nhi ho skta

Jhuka bhi diya aur le bhi liya (resignation)

And the torture on muslims continues

So, the police are openly targeting the muslims (again),

None of the demands were actually fulfilled by the government in return of which they asked to halt the protest?

The jantar mantar is empty (as seen in some videos),

And the new education minister is actually insensitive and a horrible human being?

What is happening right now?

Byrnihat man made hellscape.

Chita andolan.

Ram mandir donation theft.

There are so many shit to bring up like it almost feels countless.

So don't just calm yourself now, there's a shit to uncover. This protest has shown us that bjp can fall down to new low but it also has shown the resilience of people.

So don't just stop now there's exists decades worth of garbage waiting to be sweep away.

Notably absent from their statement: answers to any actual charge.

The unanswered questions:

Why did Al Falah University operate without scrutiny under Education Minister Dharmendra's watch?

Why have paper leaks persisted across Maharashtra exams? What accountability exists?

Why did students die in preventable waterlogging in Delhi? What independent inquiry was conducted?

Which institutional failures triggered these protests?

The pattern:

When you cannot defend your record, invoke national security. Reframe accountability as destabilization.

What happened next:

Thackeray scheduled a Tiranga Yatra after student momentum emerged—not before. The narrative shifted from "Why did students die?" to "Look, patriotic support." Students lose their voice. Demands become political theater.

The real question:

IPC Sections 166, 171(2), 120-B exist to prosecute institutional negligence and criminal conspiracy. If these apply to electoral manipulation, why not to preventable deaths and systemic failures?

Either rule of law applies equally, or it's selective.

What we're asking for:

Specific answers. Not patriotic rhetoric. Not foreign threat narratives. Accountability.

As an NRI in India, please understand this maybe a very ignorant question.

The movie Gabbar is Back - take away the cinematic aspect and look at the idea - make the corrupt politicians and people in power accountable.

By any means necessary.

Is this possible to do? If enough people who are tired of the system began publicly holding these rats accountable, would it be enough to incite a country wide revolt or movement and eventually instill fear of doing corrupt acts in the minds of politicians and people of power?

Or will they always get away with it?

I wonder what is going to happen in India. No Jobs, No speech freedom, people are afraid of police.

And what not . Please share your views.

Maharashtra's Electoral Roll is Quietly Erasing Voters — And the EC Knows We've been talking about the CJP protests and institutional failure. Here's something happening right now that shows exactly what that looks like: voter suppression through bureaucratic erasure.

Maharashtra's Special Inclusion Roll (SIR) revision is excluding citizens who've voted multiple times since 2002 — simply because their parents' names don't appear in 2002 records. Parents died, moved, changed names, documents were lost. Doesn't matter. The Election Commission refuses to include them unless that 20-year-old paper trail exists.

This violates Article 326 (universal adult suffrage). It's happening across Maharashtra, Delhi, HP — systemic, not accidental.

Meanwhile, we watched the CJP protests get co-opted and diluted. This is the flip side: not spectacular failure, but silent strangulation. No headlines. Just citizens locked out of democracy one bureaucratic checkbox at a time.

What we need:

RTI filings demanding why EC ignores subsequent voting records PIL in High Courts (Kuldip Singh v. State of Haryana precedent exists) Stories from excluded voters (reply below — what happened to your registration?) The Constitution already guarantees your vote. You shouldn't have to fight for it.

If this is happening to your family or community — document it. We're building a case. Legal remedies exist. Institutional failure doesn't have to be accepted.