Faiz Ahmed Faiz wrote an anthem for students. It feels like he wrote it at Jantar Mantar yesterday: Padhne walon ke naam Wo jo ashab e tabl o alam Ke daron par kitaab aur qalam Ka taqaza liye haath phailaaye paunche Aur laut kar ghar na aaye Woh masoom jo bholpan mein Wahan apne nanhe chiraghon ki lau le ke paunche jahan Butt rahe tthe ghata top be-ant raaton ke saaye (In the name of students Who went to doors of their masters Prostrating themselves on their doorsteps With their books and pens Entreating them with open palms But never returned. Those innocents, who in their naivete Took their tiny lamps, Their flickering hope, where The shadows of endless nights were being distributed.)The monsoon rains have arrived in Delhi, washing over the historic grounds of Jantar Mantar, where thousands of students are gathering. But these rains have brought not just relief from summer heat, they have nourished what we call the “monsoon spring,” a student-led movement that has reignited India’s conscience and challenged the foundations of its democratic institutions.Students rest on a pavement during the ongoing protest over the alleged NEET-UG examination irregularities at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on July 23, 2026. Photo: PTI/Atul Yadav. For weeks, Jantar Mantar has been transformed from a quiet astronomical observatory into the epicenter of Naujawanon ka Inquilab (revolution of young people). Students from across the country have converged here, their voices rising to a crescendo, demanding accountability, justice, and the protection of constitutional guarantees enshrined in India’s education system. The monsoon spring is India’s students rising to protect their constitutional guaranteesNEET paper leaks have devastated millions of students who have dedicated their lives to education. The sanctity of meritocracy, the cornerstone of India’s education system, has been shattered by organised syndicates operating with impunity. Students who studied honestly found themselves competing against those who had purchased question papers. Jantar Mantar is now the epicenter of students’ resistance. The protests at Jantar Mantar represent a historic mobilisation. For the first time in decades, students from across castes, regions, religions, and economic backgrounds have united with a singular demand: protect the constitutional guarantee of equal access to education. ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ is Rahul Gandhi’s nationwide campaignAs the protests at Jantar Mantar intensified, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a nationwide campaign under the banner “Chhatron Ki Goonj” (echo of students). The campaign aims to amplify student voices across India and force the government to address education sector crises. His involvement has brought national and international attention to the student movement. His initiative includes: Student town halls – Interactive sessions with students across the country. Social media campaigns – Using digital platforms to share students’ stories and demands. Parliamentary interventions – Raising student issues in parliament.Protest support – Providing legal and logistical support to protesting students.“Every student who has been betrayed by this system is a citizen whose dreams we must protect,” Gandhi said during a town hall event. “The paper leak mafia is not just stealing exam papers; they are stealing India’s future. We will be the voice for students who have been silenced by corruption and indifference,” he added.The student movement against the nationwide paper leak scandal escalated dramatically as thousands of young protesters, defying government-imposed restrictions, took a defiant second step beyond the designated protest zone at Jantar Mantar and marched directly towards Parliament House on July 20.Also read: ‘You Will Be Known as the Generation that Chose Courage Over Silence’: Amol Palekar’s Letter to StudentsWhat began as a confined demonstration rapidly transformed into a powerful rally, drawing unprecedented solidarity from a broad coalition – student organisations across the political spectrum, civil society groups, prominent artists, lawyers, educationists, and a wave of social media influencers who amplified every chanted slogan and raised a fist to millions online. Pan India protests are raging from metropolitan hubs to small towns; Indian students have united in a nationwide movement against this undemocratic and authoritarian regime. The government, anticipating this had positioned police contingents, heavy barricades and paramilitary forces around the parliament area.A man walks past a defaced name board, amid an ongoing protest at the Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on July 23, 2026. Photo: PTI/Karma Bhutia.It was determined to prevent any encroachment beyond Jantar Mantar. However, as the peaceful procession of determined students approached the perimeter, the security forces executed a swift and brutal crackdown. Without warning, baton-wielding police charged into the crowd, raining down rusty nail embedded lathi blows, while others fired tear gas shells that turned the sky into a grey haze. Most shockingly, pellet guns were deployed against unarmed students, leaving dozens bleeding and writhing on the ground. Despite the violence, the protesters refused to scatter, their chants for justice and transparency in competitive exams echoing off the parliamentary walls, a grim tableau of state force colliding with youth anger, raising urgent questions about the right to peaceful assembly at the heart of India’s democracy.The toll is heart wrenching. More than 250 students have been injured and over 120 hospitalised across various Delhi hospitals. Many students are gasping with critical head injuries while several women protestors have been injured, groped and harassed. College girls; Meera with severe head injuries, Ananya hit by a water cannon and fractured arm and leg- parents rushed from Jaipur to be by her bedside. Ravi from JNU, beaten unconscious, in critical condition. Kiran from Bihar lathi charged, traumatised, who had traveled to join the protests. All are, or were, chasing academic dreams.The protest moves forward to the prime minister’s houseFrustrated by the government’s refusal to engage, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi led a delegation of leaders to the prime minister’s official residence and held an unprecedented protest on July 21. Their demand was clear: “Discuss students’ issues in parliament. Protect students’ futures.”Police personnel detain Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during a sit-in protest near the Prime Minister’s residence over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, in New Delhi on July 21, 2026. Photo: PTI/Salman Ali.The protest outside the prime minister’s house represented a significant escalation in the movement: detention of Opposition leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. Several senior MPs and former chief ministers were also detained under preventive custody. Rahul Gandhi said, “They can arrest us, but they cannot arrest the dreams of India’s students. We will continue to fight for justice.” The monsoon spring: A new hopeDespite the violence, the detentions, and the government’s refusal to listen, the student movement has created what many call “monsoon spring” – a season of political awakening and democratic assertion. This movement is different for five inexorable reasons.First, students from all castes, religions, regions, and economic backgrounds have united. Second, digital mobilisation as social media has enabled unprecedented organisation and awareness. Third, inter-generational support as senior leaders, academics, and retired bureaucrats have supported the students. Fourth, global media has covered the protests, bringing pressure on the Indian government. Fifth, constitutional consciousness since students are invoking constitutional guarantees, not just raising political slogans. A clear reform agenda, short and long term, has been articulated by students. Short term: NEET-UG to be re-conducted with enhanced security measures, compensation for affected students who lost academic years and strict action against paper leak culprits including those in government agencies, judicial inquiry into the Jantar Mantar lathi charge and implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) with genuine student participation.Also read: An Ahmedabad Engineer Built a Website to Document the July 20 Violence. Then Gujarat Police Came for Him.Long term: Computer-adaptive testing to eliminate paper leaks, decentralised examination systems with robust local invigilation, more transparent appointment of examination bodies, legal framework with severe penalties for paper leaks and mental health support for students facing examination stress.Promise of the monsoon springMonsoon spring represents the best of India – its youth, its constitutional values, and its democratic spirit. Despite the brutality of the lathi charge, despite the detentions, despite the government’s indifference, students have shown remarkable resilience. The movement has already achieved something. It has awakened a generation to the possibilities of collective action. Whether at Jantar Mantar or in college campuses across India, students are learning that democracy is not a spectator sport. It requires engagement, vigilance, and courage. Police personnel detain Student’s Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) members before staging a protest demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on July 22, 2026. Photo: PTI/R. Senthilkumar.The hope of the monsoon spring lies not just in its immediate demands but in its longer-term potential. A generation of young Indians is discovering that they have power – the power to demand accountability, the power to insist on justice, and the power to build a better India. As the monsoon rains continue to fall on Jantar Mantar, washing away the dust and the blood, there is a sense that something has fundamentally changed. The students who gather there are not just protesting; they are reclaiming their constitutional birthright.Also read: ‘Police Threw People on the Ground to Beat Them’: A University Student Recounts the Horror of July 20They are standing up for an India that lives up to its promise – an India where education is a right, not a privilege; where merit matters more than money; and where every student can dream without fear. The monsoon spring has begun. Whether it becomes a full-blown season of change or a brief moment of hope will depend on all of us – on the students who continue to protest, on the citizens who support them, and on the leaders who must finally listen. Again Faiz Sahib expresses our feelings: Raat ka garm lahu aur bhi beh jaane do Yehi tareeki to hai ghaaza e rukhsaar e sahr Subah honey ko hee hai, ai dil e betaab theher (Let the night’s seething blood pour out This dense darkness is the faint glow on the face of dawn Morning is breaking, O heart calm down, wait.)Syeda Hameed is a writer and the founder chair of the Muslim Women’s Forum. Tanveer Hussain Khan is an activist and researcher from Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir.