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With elections perceived to be rigged, do Indians see protests as the only option?

Scroll | July 23, 2026 1:40 PM CST

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On a wall close to the Jantar Mantar, an eighteenth-century observatory in the heart of New Delhi, are scribbled the words “Vote Chor Modi”. The Hindi phrase, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a vote thief, refers to the frequent allegations of election rigging made against the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The graffiti was made by students protesting against question paper leaks. For weeks now, hundreds of young men and women have gathered at the heart of India’s capital to demand the resignation of the Union minister for education. Rather than talk to the students, on Saturday the Modi government sent in the police to forcibly detain Sonam Wangchuk, an activist fasting on behalf of the students.

This show of force was the political equivalent of taking a cricket bat to a wasp nest. On Monday, students, likely numbering above a lakh, hit the streets trying to march to Parliament. While the police blocked them before they could reach the legislature, the sheer size of...