Communist Parties of India, CPI(M) and CPI, condemn police violence on protesting students

India's communist movement has strongly condemned the brutal police crackdown on students and youth protesting peacefully at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar, accusing the BJP-led Modi government of responding to legitimate democratic demands with repression instead of dialogue. 

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) denounced the use of lathi charges and tear gas against demonstrators, while the Communist Party of India (CPI) sharply criticized remarks by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant dismissing calls to examine video evidence of the police violence. 

In a statement issued on July 20, the CPIM Polit Bureau congratulated the thousands of students and young people who participated in the historic march to Parliament from Jantar Mantar, describing it as a powerful response to the Modi government's "dictatorial approach" toward the month-long movement demanding accountability over the education crisis. The party condemned the "brutal lathicharge and teargasing of peaceful protesters," stressing that numerous students and youth were injured in what it called a ferocious police assault carried out at the behest of the Union Home Ministry.

"The Modi government should immediately stop using force to crush democratic protests and instead engage with the legitimate demands of the students," the CPIM said, warning that state repression cannot silence growing public anger over unemployment, repeated examination scandals and attacks on democratic rights.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) also reacted forcefully after Chief Justice Surya Kant refused to urgently hear a plea concerning alleged police brutality against the protesters, remarking that the Court did not have time to watch videos documenting the violence.

CPI General Secretary D. Raja described the Chief Justice's remarks as "disturbing and insensitive." He emphasized that the widely circulated videos were not entertainment but evidence submitted by citizens seeking constitutional protection against state violence.

"The judiciary is the last hope for citizens when the State violates their rights. Those who came to the Court were not asking for a favour. They were asking for protection of their constitutional rights," Raja said.

He further argued that allegations of police brutality against peaceful protesters deserved urgent judicial attention, warning that "democracy cannot survive if the Executive resorts to force and the cries of those seeking justice are left unheard." Raja concluded by stressing that the country expects constitutional institutions "to stand with the Constitution, not turn away from those who seek its protection".

The protests have been spearheaded by the student-led "Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)", a satirical movement that emerged after India's Chief Justice likened unemployed youth to "cockroaches" during a court hearing. Instead of retreating, students reclaimed the slur as a symbol of resistance, turning it into a nationwide campaign against unemployment, examination scandals, police repression and what they describe as the Modi government's increasingly authoritarian policies. 

    IN DEFENSE OF COMMUNISM ©