An education system’s collapse, young India’s trauma

For the last few weeks, peaceful protests by young students all over India against examination paper leaks and the general decay in the education system have been gathering momentum. Their demands have been straightforward and to the point: accountability from the Government of India and education reform. The Narendra Modi government has responded to their courage with cowardice and wanton cruelty, treating them not as inheritors of the future but as enemies of the nation. On July 20, 2026, a day of infamy, the Delhi Police and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) sought to suppress them with uncalled-for violence, using brutal lathicharges and tear gas. Scores of peaceful protesters have been injured. Even students heading back home were not spared, as lathis rained down on their backs and heads. The nation has seen some of the most depressing visuals of youth whose bodies have been scarred by pellets, the use of which would undoubtedly have been approved by the Union Home Minister himself. The videos from that day are seared into our memories and have stirred our collective conscience. Only the government and its captive media are spinning stories around this spontaneous rising tide of protest. It is time to say loud and clear: Stop. These are our sons and daughters, our young men and women.