‘Desi’ Democracy In Reverse Gear? -Soter

Lead article published in oHeraldo 26 October 2026

 A hostile State machinery which resorts to indiscriminate use of force against its own citizens to crush dissent and disrupt peaceful street protests is definitely no sign of a healthy and progressive democracy. The replay of a toxic colonial script hiding behind attractive progressive labels of ‘Acche din’, ‘Amrit Kaal’ and 'Vikasit Bharat' has now been adequately exposed by the current students’ unrest across the country. The intolerant and abusive governance pattern increasingly encountered by citizens to voices of dissent has a striking resemblance to an undeclared emergency.  If not, how else can one explain the political climate prevailing in the country, wherein a government weaponises nationalism to suppress dissent, and uses unconstitutional means to deny the unarmed citizens their fundamental democratic right to assemble and peacefully protest, that too in a nation supposed to be the world's largest democracy?

The deceptive mask of the political regime, wearing a pretence of championing majoritarian rights, has been reaped off by the protests at Jantar Mantar spearheaded by young citizens from the majority community itself. It has now been amply demonstrated that the right-wing regime will employ any level of brutality against its own citizens, irrespective of religion, region and caste, to satisfy its lust and greed for power and wealth. Fortunately, the biased reporting by the mainstream lapdog media has been blunted by the independent digital media, thereby exposing the excessive use of force against unarmed and peaceful protestors which has now attracted international condemnation.

What was all this while a smoke screen of a 'corruption free India' to ascend to power has been blown off by young citizens, thereby exposing the naked reality of what has increasingly begun to look like a disguised script for a 'democracy-mukt Bharat'. Verbal abuses and brutal attacks from State authorities to crush dissent and disrupt peaceful protests of ‘We the People’ exposing the misdeeds of an elected government are now the new normal. Public dissent and street protests, like defying Sec. 144 and jumping police barricades, were considered democratically normal for right wing forces when in opposition till 2014.  Now, when in power, the tune has changed to 'protests are political tools to destabilise the government', and to be condemned as undemocratic and anti-national.

The progression in intolerance towards dissent shown by the political regime has to be understood from 2016 to 2026, beginning from the JNU, Bhima Koregao, Shaheen Bagh and Farmers protests till the current Gen Z uprising. There is an escalation in brutal tactics employed by the police and paramilitary forces, with blatant disregard for the constitutional rights of citizens and the legal safeguards in cases of civilian detentions, even when it concerns women and minors. The politics of a privileged caste entitlement riding under the garb of religion, pseudo nationalism and suffering from delusions of being a global power, has ultimately landed up sweeping the fundamental rights of citizens to dissent and protest into the garbage bin. The indiscriminate application of laws to terrorise and silence politically dissenting voices, wherein even comedians and cartoonists are not spared, are signs of the backslide of democracy.

The pattern in the abuse of political power and constitutional privileges normalised in governance is now feared to have even contaminated the Constitutional institutions that are supposed to be watchdogs of democracy, to ensure that governance remains fair, accountable, and aligned with constitutional values. An Election Commission ducking accountability and transparency by hiding behind its privileges, and denying public accusations of manipulated electoral processes while the judiciary drags its feet when it comes to meting out justice in cases of governance over reach, is fuelling distrust of citizens in these independent, autonomous bodies. With the current crisis resulting from the controversial conduct of the Election Commission, the hasty attempt in pushing for a One Nation One Election (ONOE) and the delimitation of constituencies, which is due now, have both come under a cloud of increased suspicion.

The lack of basic civility and cheap rhetoric from constitutional platforms of authority, by indulging in name-calling, mocking and ridiculing political opponents, is an international embarrassment for a country. What is baffling is a government singing its own praise which is just the opposite of the ground realities, using paid influencers to glorify its achievements, fudging statistics and discrediting international democracy ratings as biased. Such political climate points to an underlying inferiority complex and insecurity in leadership coupled with a phobia of the opposition forces. In such a regressive political environment what tends to get overlooked is the psychological aspect, the dark manipulative personality traits mistaken for bold and decisive leadership. 

The political decay is not just restricted to the capture of democratic institutions alone. Even the coffers in religious places have not been spared from the looting. Despite every political solution backfiring and compounding the common man’s problems in the last one decade, like rising corruption, unemployment, inflation and crimes, the loyalists of such a regime who gaslight, shame and attack citizens protesting against glaring scams are no different from drunkards and drug addicts who cannot see the reality. The pseudo-patriotism and pseudo-nationalism of those in government has now spilled into lawlessness on the streets with a ‘might is right’ and 'my way or the highway' mentality on the roads and in every public space.

Ultimately, there are no quick fixes to break the stranglehold of a manipulative regime other than the grit of sustained resistance. The response needs to move beyond temporary outrage and commit to the quiet, daily labour of rebuilding society, by fiercely defending independent journalism, fostering community trust, and refusing to let cynicism normalize oppression. This architecture of fear and repression took years to build, and dismantling it will demand an equally relentless dedication to truth.