Curator’s Note: Swaraj and the Students Who Defended It
Eight writers, including a hunger-striking JNU scholar, senior journalists, academics, and a lawyer, reflect on the Jantar Mantar protests and what Gandhi and Ambedkar’s vision of self-rule demands of India, eighty years after Independence.
Published on: 15 August 2026, 07:07 am
JUST A FEW WEEKS BEFORE the celebrations of India’s 80th independence day commenced on August 15 this year, the youth protest at Jantar Mantar which demanded the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET exam paper leaks spontaneously secured country wide support in spite of brutal lathi charge, firing of tear gas shells and even pellet guns by police. It is of extraordinary significance that for the first time in India's history, a massive youth movement was launched demanding quality education, integrity of the examination process and accountability of the powers that be for their failure in conducting examinations fairly. The momentous movement eventually registered remarkable success when Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. These extraordinary developments anchored in the youth's duty of resistance, formed the backdrop against which the idea of Swaraj conjured up by leaders of the freedom struggle gets reflected in this Special Issue of The Leaflet.
Eight articles authored by eminent personalities for this Special Issue capture the idea of Swaraj in the context of the youth's role in defending it through their arduous quest for quality education, integrity of the examination system and a constructive protest culture rooted in the vision and practical action of Gandhi and Ambedkar.
Neha Bora, a Ph.D. student at JNU who sat on fast for twenty-three days at Jantar Mantar and emerged as a shining example of a brilliant communicator with exceptional clarity of thinking argues in her article that “Our struggle isn’t just about education, but against the larger pro-corporate and communal political system being put in place by dismantling everything that our freedom fighters fought for.” “The dismantling and crisis of the education system,” she asserted, “is one expression of this larger structure.”
Harish Khare, a highly acclaimed senior journalist and persuasive author, makes the crucial point that although the agitation was called off with Pradhan’s resignation, the momentum of the movement endured and, in his words, “A right to resistance has been reclaimed.”
Professor Ajay Gudavarthy boldly states in his article, “These protests can only be seen as the beginning of a new era of Indian democracy.” “Those of us worried that we had lost our way” he remarks with confidence, “can now be assured that in fact a new pathway is being laid.”