The struggle continues and will go on relentlessly until truth and justice triumph! There is no doubt about that! It may be a long-haul struggle, but no one seems to mind; after all, India's freedom struggle was a long, drawn-out affair too! It is the Festival Season of Dussehra, and, respecting everyone's sentiments and interpretations, it is, in essence, a time to underline the victory of good over evil, truth over untruth, transparency over corruption, harmony over communalism, and light over darkness. One cannot deny, negate or ignore this incontrovertible fact. The struggle for the soul of India is exactly that!

Yes, the winds of change are blowing in Delhi and, in fact, all over the country! The change is in the air: palpable, vibrant, and far from the pollution one is so accustomed to, especially in cities like Delhi. The 'winds of change' are a movement, a struggle. Gen Z is the face of this movement, supported by Gen Y (the Millennials), with Gen Alpha not wanting to be left out! There are thousands of them, most of them unknown, but in keeping with the spirit of what is happening, some are the visible faces (they are vocal and articulate) of the new freedom struggle that has gripped the nation; they are not alone, though; thousands of others are in solidarity with them: farmers and lawyers, casual labourers and simple homemakers, academics and media personnel, old and young, politicians belonging to opposition parties and the whole range of civil society members! They are all determined to usher in a new chapter in the country's history. Despite the regime using brute force and every rotten act from their dirty bag of tricks, they are not cowed down. Their heads are held high! They are confident that they will overcome!

One experienced this in Delhi recently: the evening of September 16 was, in some ways, the pièce de résistance! Despite prohibitory orders, thousands gathered in and around Connaught Place responding to a call from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) to 'Lehera do tiranga.' They came in droves with national flags, singing and chanting slogans like 'Inquilab Zindabad!' 'Bharat Mata ki Jai!' AAP protesters held a 270-foot-long tricolour hoisted over a human wave in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Among those who joined the march was 93-year-old Devaki Jain, a retired economist, who did not mince words when she spoke to the media, justifying her presence in the protests.

Police deployed more than 6,000 personnel in the area. They did their best to crush the protest, as they have tried to do so these past few days. They managed to detain a few.

Police detained and then arrested Abhijeet Dipke as he planned to head to Connaught Place for the march. Neha Bora (the All India Students Association Leader) was detained in the Mandi House area while protesting. Police took her to a distant location and finally released her late into the night. A local court ordered Abhijeet to post a ?50,000 bond and declare that he won't disrupt peace. On Saturday morning, he left the Mandir Marg police station and shared a photo of Shah Rukh Khan's character in tears in the movie 'Veer-Zara' (2004), after being released from a Pakistani jail after 22 years. He captioned it, "How it feels walking out of jail after 24 hours with no wifi and phone."

Two CJP leaders, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, were sent to judicial custody for allegedly trespassing at Jantar Mantar, which was denotified as a protest venue recently, last week. A magistrate ordered their release late evening on October 21, after they spent seven days in jail.

The regime is in panic mode! Desperate! They are sparing no effort to quell the resistance! Delhi is like a city under siege: most areas that could be used for protests are barricaded. A few days ago, they shut down the metros and jammed the internet in the protest areas. More than 26,000 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been brought in for round-the-clock duty. Simply unbelievable! The fascist regime is attacking and at war with its own citizens. Though unacceptable, it is understandable: India's citizens know the truth and are demanding justice! A bitter pill for the regime to swallow.

On October 14, an emergency Consultation and Collaboration meeting was held to strengthen and widen the anti–SIR movement and take it forward. It was held at Surjeet Bhavan, with more than 200 national- and state-level organisations participating, including youth organisations, farmers' groups (like the Samyukt Kisan Morcha), and civil society forces. The meeting resolved to carry the struggle forward to its logical conclusion and expand it across the country.

A national-level network was formed under the name 'People Against SIR.' The first ground action, 'The People's March to Reclaim Democracy,' is scheduled for October 23. This marks the beginning of a united struggle by the people of India until Gyanesh Kumar is prosecuted, illegal SIR is scrapped, the voting rights of every genuine citizen of India are restored, and the Election Commissioners Act 2023 is amended.

The call is to march with the tricolour in hand to district/tehsil headquarters, state capitals, and the national capital, asserting people's unity against the authoritarianism of the Modi-Shah Regime. All mass and class organisations and civil society platforms are expected to actively mobilise and participate in this peaceful gathering for the democratic rights fought for and won by innumerable heroes in our struggle for independence from British colonialism. Captions and slogans, posters and memes, have spread far and wide, stating, "Every village is Jantar Mantar, every street is Jantar Mantar, every home is Jantar Mantar." "In Every Hand Tiranga, Every Street Jantar Mantar," "Har Haath Mein Tiranga, Har Gali Jantar Mantar."

The demands of this nationwide protest are clear:
1.    Remove and prosecute Gyanesh Kumar.
2.    Scrap the SIR, and restore all deleted voters to the Voter Rolls.
3.    Repeal the conspiratorial amendments to the Election Commissioners Act 2023.
4.    Appoint a new Election Commission through an unbiased process; revise the voter rolls; return to paper ballots; and ensure fair elections through election reforms.

The signatories to this campaign include Neha Bora, Aishe Ghosh, Viraj Devang, and Abhijeet Dipke, and eminent citizens like Prashant Bhushan, Anjali Bharadwaj, Prakash Raj, Ganesh Devy, Tushar Gandhi, Parakala Prabhakar, and Rakesh Tikait support it. At the end, their flyer, which is going viral, states, "All power to the People. Constitution will prevail! Conspiracy will fail!"

On October 15, the Independent Commission for SIR held a hearing at Jawahar Bhawan. The Independent Commission consists of five eminent former judges. It presented ground reports and testimonies from affected people in Karnataka, Delhi, Rajasthan, Telangana, West Bengal, and Odisha. The investigative work carried out in Karnataka by the Nagarika Mata Kavalu Samiti (Citizens' Committee for Safeguarding the Vote) attracted particular attention. Distinctive and eye-opening testimonies were presented. After collecting evidence from all the states, the Commission will deliver its verdict.

That afternoon, Neha Bora, Abhijeet Dipke, Aishe Ghosh, Tara Rao, Prashant Bhushan, Anjali Bharadwaj, Prakash Raj, and others addressed a historic press conference. The Media Conference was packed, with national and international attendees. Speakers spoke with great conviction, offering new hope to a battered nation. They issued a direct challenge to the Modi government. It clearly marked the movement's emergence into a new phase. Unfortunately, 'Republic TV,' true to its style, tried to heckle and confront the speakers. The rest of the media could not accept this and literally threw them out of the Press Club.

These past few days in Delhi have galvanised the youth, along with all sections of society, into a new, more determined way forward. They have effectively used the media to challenge the regime. Eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan declared, "Yes, changing the government is the goal of our struggle. It is not merely our right but our duty, and we will ensure that it is done."

Many will resonate with the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who once said, "I am but a poor struggling soul yearning to be wholly good, wholly truthful and wholly non-violent in thought, word and deed, but ever failing to reach the ideal which I know to be true. It is a painful climb, but each step upwards makes me feel stronger and fit for the next."

An interesting but highly contextual meme is circulating. It says, "Democracy keeps political authority open to revision: Governments can be dismissed, policies reconsidered, institutions reformed and inherited relations of domination challenged. In this sense, change belongs to Democracy's essential character."

That, in a way, sums up the current happenings: the struggle is on; it will continue till the very end, till justice and truth prevail!