Protest Is Not a Threat, State Must Not Criminalise Dissent: On Liberty and Democracy
A commentary on Indian politics highlights that peaceful protest is not a threat to democracy but an essential safety valve that keeps it alive. Emphasising that maintaining law and order must not come at the cost of liberty, it notes a crucial difference between preventing violence and criminalising dissent. Detaining activists, arresting protesters, and shutting public spaces cannot serve as the default response to political disagreement. While regime change is ultimately decided by the ballot box and voters, peaceful protest remains a constitutional right rather than a government favour, testing how confidently a nation accommodates its critics.
