Our companion piece in this edition covers the legal side of the Delhi protests — what the Constitution allows and what it restricts. This article moves the debate one level deeper.
An academic from the Dr Ambedkar International Centre asks a different question: even where protest is legal, is the street the right channel? Her argument rests on Rousseau’s social contract — citizens agree to shared rules and institutions in exchange for real freedom. She argues that continuous agitation cracks this civic bond, shrinks public faith in institutions, and replaces reform debates with shouting matches.
Her prescription: demand accountability from within institutions — RTI, grievance cells, academic councils — and let educators anchor young people in constitutional methods.