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The past year has brought forth widespread state violence for all eyes to see, right in the centre of the national capital. Batons to the bodies of students, pellets in the flesh of those seeking justice, and bodies dragged across the streets with utter apathy. The conventional, Weberian definition of the state grants it a “monopoly over legitimate use of physical force.” Who, then, is permitted to exert legitimate violence in the India that we see today, and who has this mon

Saturday, 10th October marked Mahalaya— the day that heralds the approach of Durga Pujo, Bengal’s great autumn festival commemorating the invocation of Goddess Durga before her victory over the demon Mahishasura. I watched Delhi turn itself into a hunting ground for protestors. I left campus to stand in solidarity with those demanding the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. The protests were called after irregularities, voter disenfranchisement, and more

بول کہ لب آزاد ہیں تیرے بول زباں اب تک تیری ہے تیرا ستواں جسم ہے تیرا بول کہ جاں اب تک تیری ہے دیکھ کہ آہن گر کی دکاں میں تند ہیں شعلے سرخ ہے آہن کھلنے لگے قفلوں کے دہانے پھیال ہر اک زنجیر کا دامن بول یہ تھوڑا وقت بہت ہے جسم و زباں کی موت سے پہلے بول کہ سچ زندہ ہے اب تک بول جو کچھ کہنا ہے کہہ لے Speak, for your lips are free, Speak, for your tongue is still yours. Your upright body is still yours, Speak, for your life is still yours. Look, in the blacksmith’s shop, The flame

During the student protests of 2026, jokes proliferated online that a ticket to the Dhurandhar movie was better proof of loyalty to the regime than an Aadhar Card. Humour, as ever, is rooted in some truth. Dhurandhar’s articulation of the militarised, hypermasculine and Hinduised vision of “New India” gives it immense propagandist potential, yet it is closer to the norm. Each year, a large number of the films Bollywood produces (and awards) mirror narratives that serve a righ

Niharika Ghosh (UG '29) writes on the recent SG elections which were marked by last-minute changes and left the university without an elected student government. She argues that the failure to elect a government is a result of more than merely political apathy.

Sanjana Shankar (UG '28) examines the allure of insisting the Jantar Mantar protests remain "apolitical", pointing out the inherently political nature of protests — evident in who participates, who is challenged, and who is heard the loudest.

India is witnessing one of the most significant waves of youth mobilisation in the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) tenure, and this momentum is worth supporting. This brings forth an opportunity to critically examine one of the movement’s most visible vehicles: the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Consequently, while looking at the ongoing protest, it is worth closely inspecting the CJP’s role, and how it reveals far more about the boundaries of acceptable dissent in India than it doe

The Editorial Board of The Edict unequivocally condemns the horrific acts of violence directed at students and peaceful protesters on the 20th of July 2026 at Jantar Mantar and surrounding areas in New Delhi. These include the use of police force, multiple accounts of assault, arbitrary detention, intimidation, and the deployment of violence, whether by the state or by those who act with its protection to suppress democratic participation. The willingness of any government t

Eitan Gilboa, an Israeli soldier was found vacationing in Himachal Pradesh, India in early June 2026 when the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) filed a complaint with Indian authorities, seeking his arrest. According to the HRF, Gilboa was involved in the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza, which he recorded and posted on his social media. The state is obligated to investigate individuals accused of such crimes in line with the Geneva Convention. By the time the relevan

Poorvi Sanath Kumar (UG’29) writes on the structural and resource limitations facing Ashoka University. " We’ve seen already that the administration’s asymmetric ideas of expansion do not match what is needed by students living and studying here, namely an equal redistribution and expansion of classes and utilities," she writes.