India, July 22 -- What began as a protest by a handful of competitive exam aspirants at Jantar Mantar has transformed into a larger student movement, with participation swelling significantly after allegations of police brutality against demonstrators. Many students who had never intended to protest say they were compelled to join after witnessing the crackdown. Among them is Aryan Dubey, a law student at National Law University, Delhi, who believes the movement reflects years of accumulated frustration over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET and SSC paper leaks, and what protesters describe as a lack of accountability in the examination system.
"This is not just about one exam anymore," Dubey said. "Students have been carrying resentment for years. The police action became the immediate trigger that united people from different campuses and backgrounds." Drawing from sociological theories of collective action, Dubey argued that protests often evolve through stages from discussion and shared resentment to leadership and finally a triggering event that transforms isolated grievances into a mass movement. According to him, the alleged detention of protest leaders and the police response accelerated that process. Another protester, Pallavi, a NEET aspirant, said she joined the demonstration out of solidarity with fellow students. Recalling the police action, she alleged that protesters, including women, children and elderly participants, were subjected to force. "We were unarmed. People were scared and running for safety. After that day, many of us couldn't sleep or return to our normal routines," she said, adding that the experience had left many students traumatised. Despite the events, Pallavi described the atmosphere inside the protest site as peaceful and supportive.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.