Volume 7

The Specter of Dissent
The language of a civil society embodied in
the form of freedom and solidarity has served
to be a perfect antidote for the power and
profit-hungry state of this country. When the
government interprets peaceful protests as a
grave offence and a global conspiracy, the first
casualty in a democratic structure is freedom
of speech.
Dissent is an integral part of a democratic
society. If a country aims to grow in a holistic
way: criticism, dissent and the temper for
questioning is an utmost necessity. Merely
because certain groups oppose, those in
power cannot take away their right to oppose
any action of the government as long as the
dissent is peaceful.
- Rohan Kapoor
We are condemned to discuss, the legality
behind Disha Ravi’s arrest and how India’s
image degraded with a tweet from a young
environmental activist. To use one’s own sense
of right and wrong has proved to be gullible and
to depend on what the regime says is relatively
safer. There are certain sections of society that
do not get support from the government due
to various factors. For their voices to be heard
by the masses, Dissent turns out to be their
last resort to ensure that the core values of the
nation such as non-partisanship exists in the
true sense.
The idea of dissent is subjective as it can also
harm the narratives in the national interest
which may have a positive outcome. There
are cases where the promotion of violence
under the name of freedom of expression has
been observed. Excessive dissent has led to an
environment of political instability. During
such scenarios, the real issues get buried under
the weight of political benefits. Therefore,
dissent is a tool that has to be used in the
right sense and right measure. Misuse of this
provision under any circumstance will degrade
its existing value.
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