Govt. & Police Brutality: Farmers, Students, Doctors, and who next?

•KAKALI DAS

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” – Benjamin Franklin

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May 22, 2025

Doctors were seen protesting in Delhi yesterday. Delhi, in the last few years, witnessed the lathi-charging on JNU students, protestors of anti-CAA movement shivering on the streets, and farmers protesting and dying on the Singhu and Ghazipur border. Once again, despite Delhi winters, chants of ‘we want justice’ roared. A while ago, the doctors, who were praised as warriors, by banging on ‘taali & thaali’ (claps and plates), drizzling flowers to show appreciation for their selfless efforts, today, why are these same doctors tagged as anti-national? Have those very doctors become such a threat to the capital now that the police had to act on them?

To the unversed, the doctors, for a while, have been demanding for the counselling of NEET-PG which is delayed due to confusion about EWS quota. The Supreme Court asked the Centre, “How did you arrive at Rs 8 lakh as annual income limit for EWS.” Seeing their careers hang by thread, doctors started protesting. As a reply, the police sprung action. Post this brutality by the police, Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) announced strike across the country. They have claimed that police used force on the marching doctors, dragged and detained them, to which the Delhi police denies. Police said they didn’t use force, rather peacefully detained the protesting resident doctors. To ease the situation, Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya met the resident doctors and asked to call off strike.

But the one thing which is clear today, after the police action on doctors, is that whoever you’re, the more are your questions and demands appropriate and just, the more are the chances of you being thrashed by this system and the government. When the JNU students protested against fee hikes, they were treated worse. Then a few ABVP supporters allegedly barged into the JNU campus and conducted surgical strikes on the students. During that time, Delhi CM, Kejriwal was quiet, and so were a certain section of people.

Not only the doctors, teachers too have faced the wrath of police this year. In Lucknow, teachers were marching to raise the issue of recruitment. But the mistake they made was by marching towards the house of CM, Yogi Adityanath. The marching teachers then were greeted by the police. And, yet, we were silently spectating the teachers being ill-treated.

We reacted similarly when the NGOs and RTI activists too came under the bus. 20 RTI activists were killed in Bihar in past 11 years. “What is the work of RTI activists anyway in today’s times?” – people wondered.

During CAA protests, students again faced the police, this time on camera. The students from Jamia Milia Islamia were beaten and thrashed without mercy. But even then, did we care? People were of the opinion, “Why should we care about these issues of the minority community? It happened with them, we are the majority, it won’t happen with us ever. And that the police won’t enter campus without any proof, the students must have done something wrong!” Now, it’s left to be unveiled why the students were actually beaten, until today. ‘Investigative journalism’ is almost over in this country. When did you last watch an exclusive exposé on mainstream media that has shaken the roots of this government? I wonder when! And for those journalists who even dared trying to expose the system, FIRs were registered against them, tangled them in the affairs of the Courts, in order to drain their energy and distract them from their works. Even in the last few years of his life, Journalist Vinod Dua faced multiple FIRs against him. But do we care about these hardworking, selfless journalists anymore? Alas, we don’t!

When farmers protested, water cannons welcomed them. The mainstream media tried to convey that they were middle-men and not farmers, and that the farmers were happy with the new farm laws! Many farmers lost lives, but you cared for the blocked roads more! Some protesting doctors of today even made fun of these farmers, trolled them that day. People, too, thought of letting the farmers remain on their own.

Now, in this Delhi winters, again, the chanting or sound of “Justice” is roaring on the streets. This time, the police action surprised the resident doctors. But why are they surprised anyway? What else did they expect from this government? Their demand is merely of the NEET PG counselling – as it is a question of careers, and this government made orders to thrash these doctors for this demand of theirs. Sick! But what else can you expect from this system anyway?

The fire has spread with such an intensity that I wonder who the next will be! When even Santa Claus wasn’t spared, comedians are not allowed to perform!  Whether you protest selling of Public sector banks or PMC bank restrictions, result might be the same.

No matter if you’re a majority or minority, the new mantra of this New India “destruction of all” is catching up. Across the country, demands are raised by various sections of society, but nobody to listen. When it comes to us, maybe then we will realize the scale. We think we are immune, but it is this lack of sensitivity which boosts the confidence of this government to stifle, gag, and enslave us. It’s high time we understand that THE FUTURE IS AT STAKE.  

(29-12-2021)