More than 400 Indian-origin students, researchers and alumni associated with leading universities across 27 countries and four continents have signed a statement titled ‘Spare India from Anarchy’. They have expressed concern over what they describe as efforts to weaken public confidence in India’s constitutional institutions and democratic processes.
The signatories criticised what they called anarchic street protests aimed at undermining the legitimacy of democratic processes. They warned against attempts to weaken constitutional democracy in the name of protecting it.
Reaffirming their confidence in India’s democratic system, they said the country had demonstrated the resilience of its democracy repeatedly during the seven decades since Independence. They also argued that constitutional institutions had developed and that checks and balances were functioning effectively.
The signatories are based in or have studied in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Georgia and the Philippines, among others.
They include people affiliated with prominent academic institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, Columbia University, the London School of Economics (LSE), the National University of Singapore, Seoul National University, the University of Manchester and the University of Toronto.
The statement makes clear that the signatories’ institutional affiliations do not indicate that their respective universities endorse the views expressed.
CONCERNS ABOUT DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS
In their statement, the signatories raised concerns about developments in India, arguing that election results, judicial rulings and public discussions concerning constitutional institutions had increasingly become contentious.
They criticised what they described as a pattern of rejecting election outcomes, repeatedly questioning constitutional institutions and taking political disputes to the streets instead of addressing them through Parliament.
According to the statement, unfavourable election results have prompted doubts about procedural integrity, while unfavourable judicial decisions have led to criticism of judicial independence. The signatories also objected to what they viewed as the unnecessary involvement of the Armed Forces, which they described as an apolitical institution, in partisan discussions.
They alleged that pending court cases were being used to create doubts about Indian democracy, with such narratives gaining traction through street protests. They argued that these actions were contradictory because they were being undertaken in the name of defending democracy.
Describing themselves as people invested in India’s future who continue to identify as Indians while travelling internationally, the signatories said they were deeply distressed by these developments.
AMBEDKAR’S WARNING ABOUT CONSTITUTIONAL METHODS
The statement referred to Dr BR Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution, and his views on the importance of following constitutional methods to safeguard the country’s democratic system.
Citing Ambedkar’s warning that constitutional methods should be upheld and revolutionary methods abandoned, the signatories cautioned against the growing acceptance of anarchy as an alternative to constitutional governance.
They maintained that fraternity and the fundamental principles of the Constitution should not be undermined by methods that weaken established democratic institutions.
APPEAL FOR DEBATE WITHIN THE CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
While recognising dissent as an essential element of democracy, the signatories said they would not remain passive as democratic institutions were allegedly being undermined in the name of protecting them.
They expressed solidarity with democratic forces worldwide and opposed what they described as regressive methods being used to pursue narrow, self-serving objectives.
The statement called on social and political groups to consider their concerns and settle disagreements through debate, discussion, dialogue and dissent within the constitutional framework established by India’s founding leaders.
Titled ‘Spare India from Anarchy’, the statement includes a list of signatories. They reiterated their appeal for disagreements to be addressed through constitutional institutions rather than through methods they believe could weaken the country’s democratic system.
