News Desk
NEW DEHLI: Indian students challenged what they described as misleading narratives promoted by sections of the media during a protest held at Jantar Mantar. They questioned the growing tendency to label dissenting voices as “Pakistani agents” whenever they criticized government policies or raised concerns over civil rights.
The demonstration reflected wider anxieties about freedom of expression and the treatment of protesters in India. Among the speakers was student activist Neha Bora, who said she had observed a 23-day hunger strike during demonstrations organized by the “Cockroach Janta Party”. She argued that public silence over the use of pellet guns in Indian-administered Kashmir had gradually normalized such tactics.
Bora said many people had accepted official claims in the past when residents of Kashmir or those affected during the Delhi riots were branded as Pakistani agents. She said those accusations had often gone unchallenged by large sections of society. However, she added that when students protesting over their own grievances were given the same label, many began questioning the credibility of such allegations.
According to her, the experience exposed what she described as the falsehood behind earlier narratives used against critics. The recent use of pellet guns by police during demonstrations in Delhi has fueled a wider debate across India. The incidents prompted comparisons with their long and controversial use in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, where the weapons have repeatedly been deployed during periods of unrest.
Critics, however, continued to reject that justification. They called for safer methods of crowd management and urged the authorities to adopt policing practices that reduced the risk of serious injury while respecting the right to peaceful protest.
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