More than 400 Indian-origin students , researchers and alumni of universities across 27 countries have signed a statement condemning what they describe as attempts to erode public confidence in constitutional institutions.
They accuse unnamed groups of “election denial” and of using street protests to delegitimise democratic processes. The statement, titled “Spare India from Anarchy,” was released on Monday through a press note, with a list of 402 names appended.
The statement draws on a warning from Dr BR Ambedkar , the chief architect of the Constitution. It cites peaceful transfers of power, functioning checks and balances, and flourishing institutions as evidence.
“We understand dissent is an essential ingredient of democracy, but we refuse to be silent spectators to the subversion of democratic apparatus in its guise,” the signatories said. They added that they were speaking as people who “have stakes in the future of this country” and are “deeply anguished” by the current state of affairs. The signatories quote him as urging Indians to “hold fast to constitutional methods” and abandon “the bloody methods of revolution,” which he called “the grammar of anarchy. They argue that anarchy is increasingly becoming “an expression of choice” in public life. The statement says Indian democracy has repeatedly proved its resilience over the seven decades since independence. The press note says the signatories believe these gains are now under strain from a campaign to sow doubt about the system.
The statement does not name any political party, leader, election, court ruling or specific protest. Nor does it specify which developments in India prompted it. This leaves the target of its criticism open to interpretation, a point readers should bear in mind when assessing its claims. The statement offers no evidence of such a plan, and the press note does not identify who the signatories believe is behind it. In that speech, he argued that constitutional methods must be used to achieve social and economic goals once a constitutional path is available. The signatories invoke the passage to argue that debate and dialogue must remain within constitutional institutions.
Ambedkar made the remark cited in the statement during his closing speech to the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949, a day before the Constitution was adopted.
The signatories allege a coordinated effort, describing “an unconscionable and devious plan” to weaponise sub judice matters, which is then “amplified on the streets by leaning on anarchist forces.
The statement comes at a time when questions about electoral integrity, judicial independence and the limits of protest are regular features of political debate in India. Opposition parties have often described street mobilisation as a legitimate democratic tool. The statement acknowledges that dissent is essential but draws a line at methods it considers anarchic.
