By Cedric Prakash
Ahmedabad, October 22, 2026: The struggle is on and will continue relentlessly till truth and justice triumph! There is no doubt about that!
It will perhaps be a long-haul struggle, but no one seems to bother about that; after all, India’s freedom struggle was a long, drawn-out affair too!
It is the Festival Season of Dussehra, and, respecting the sentiments and interpretations of all, it is, in essence, a time when one underlines the victory of good over evil, truth over untruth, transparency over corruption, harmony over communalism, and light over darkness.
One cannot deny, negate or ignore this incontrovertible fact. The struggle for the soul of India is exactly that!
Yes, the winds of change are blowing in Delhi and, in fact, all over the country! The change is in the air: palpable, vibrant and far from the pollution that one is so accustomed to, particularly in cities like Delhi. The ‘winds of change’ are a movement, a struggle.
Gen Z is the face of this movement, supported by Gen Y (the Millennials), with Gen Alpha not wanting to be left out!
There are thousands of them, most of them unknown, but in keeping with the spirit of what is happening, some are the visible faces (they are vocal and articulate) of the new freedom struggle that has gripped the nation.
They are not alone, though; thousands of others are in solidarity with them: farmers and lawyers, casual labourers and simple homemakers, academics and media personnel, old and young, politicians belonging to opposition parties and the whole range of civil society members!
They are all determined to usher in a new chapter in the country’s history. Despite the regime using brute force and every rotten act from their dirty bag of tricks, they are not cowed down. Their heads are held high! They are confident that they will overcome!
One experienced this in Delhi in recent days: 16 September evening was, in some ways, the ‘pièce de résistance’! Despite prohibitory orders, thousands gathered in and around Connaught Place responding to a call from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) to ‘Lehera do tiranga’ wave the Indian tricolor.
They came with the national flags, in droves, singing and chanting. Protesters held a 270-foot-long tricolour in a human wave in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan presidential palace.
Among those who joined the march was 93-year-old Devaki Jain, a retired economist, who did not mince words when she spoke to the media, justifying her presence in the protests.
A police force of more than 6,000 were deployed in the area. They did their best to crush the protest, as they have tried to do so these past few days.
They managed to detain a few. Abhijeet Dipke was detained and then arrested as he planned to head to Connaught Place for the march.
Neha Bora (the All India Students Association Leader) was detained from the Mandi House area when she was protesting. Till very late in the night, she was taken to some far-off destination and finally released.
Dipke was ordered to by a local court to provide a 50,000 rupees ($529) bond and declare that he won’t disrupt peace.
On October 17, morning, he came out of the Mandir Marg police station and shared a photo of Shah Rukh Khan’s character in tears in the movie ‘Veer-Zara’ (2004) upon being released after 22 years in a Pakistani jail.
He captioned it, “How it feels walking out of jail after 24 hours with no wifi and phone.”
Two CJP leaders, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, were sent to judicial custody for apparently trespassing last week at Jantar Mantar, which was denotified as a protest venue recently.
A magistrate ordered their release late evening on October 21, after they spent seven days in jail.
The regime is in panic mode! Desperate! They are sparing no efforts to quell the resistance! Delhi is like a city under siege: most of the areas which could be used for protests are barricaded.
A few days ago, they shut down the metros and jammed the internet in the protest areas. There are more than 26,000 Central Armed Police Forces who have been brought in for round-the-clock duty. Simply unbelievable.
The fascist regime is attacking and at war with its own citizens. Though unacceptable, it is understandable: the citizens of India have the truth and are demanding justice! A bitter pill for the regime to swallow.
On October 14, an emergency Consultation and Collaboration meeting was held to strengthen and widen the anti–SIR movement and take it forward. SIR or Special Intensive Revision. It is a large-scale, nationwide voter verification and roll cleansing drive conducted by the Election Commission of India.
It was held at Surjeet Bhavan, with more than 200 national- and state-level organisations participating, which included youth organisations, farmers’ groups and civil society forces. The meeting resolved to carry the struggle forward until it reaches its logical conclusion and to expand it across the country.
A national-level network was formed under the name ‘People Against SIR’. The first ground action is ‘The People’s March to Reclaim Democracy ‘to take place on 23 October.
It is the beginning of a united struggle by the people of India until Gyanesh Kumar is prosecuted, illegal SIR is scrapped, the voting rights of every genuine citizen of India is restored, and the Election Commissioners Act 2023 is amended.
The call is to march with the tricolour in hand to district/tehsil headquarters, state, and national capital, asserting people’s unity against the authoritarianism of the federal government regime.
All mass and class organisations and civil society platforms are expected to actively mobilise and participate in this peaceful gathering for the democratic rights fought for and won by innumerable heroes in our struggle for independence from British colonialism.
The demands of this nationwide protest are clear:
• Gyanesh Kumar chief election commissioner must be removed & prosecuted
• SIR must be scrapped, and all deleted voters must be restored to the Voter Rolls
• Conspiratorial Amendment to the Election Commissioners Act 2023 should be repealed
• A new Election Commission appointed through an unbiased process; just revision of the voter rolls; return to paper ballot; fair elections through election reforms
On October 15 , there was a hearing by the Independent Commission for SIR at Jawahar Bhawan. The Independent Commission constitutes five eminent former judges.
Ground reports and testimonies from affected people in Karnataka, Delhi, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal and Odisha were presented. The investigative work carried out in Karnataka by the Nagarika Mata Kavalu Samiti (Citizens’ Committee for Safeguarding the Vote) attracted particular attention.
Distinctive and eye-opening testimonies were presented. After collecting evidence from all the states, the Commission will deliver its verdict.
These past few days in Delhi have galvanised the energy of the youth together with all sections of society to a newer and more determined way ahead. They have effectively used the media to challenge the regime.
Eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan declared, “Yes, changing the government is the goal of our struggle. It is not merely our right but our duty, and we will ensure that it is done.”
Many will resonate with the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who once said, “I am but a poor struggling soul yearning to be wholly good, wholly truthful and wholly non-violent in thought, word and deed, but ever failing to reach the ideal which I know to be true. It is a painful climb, but each step upwards makes me feel stronger and fit for the next.”
That in a way sums up the current happenings: the struggle is on; the struggle will continue till the very end: till justice and truth prevail!
(Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash is a renowned human rights, reconciliation, and peace activist trainer and writer. Contact: cedricprakash@gmail.com)