{
  "id": 55878,
  "title": "The state against its students, lessons to remember",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/the-state-against-its-students-lessons-to-remember",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-02T18:43:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-state-against-its-students-lessons-to-remember/article71298559.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "150 years ago, in 1876, Surendranath Banerjee founded the Indian Association in Calcutta, sparked by student grievances over the lowered age for Indian Civil Service exams. The colonial government's response, dismissing the issue, led Banerjee to tour the country and mobilize youth into the first nationwide political movement. In 1976, South Africa and India showcased contrasting approaches to student protests. In Soweto, South Africa, students marching against Afrikaans as the medium of instruction faced live ammunition, resulting in hundreds of deaths. In India, the Emergency had already suspended student unions, and activists were jailed under MISA. The state's use of force to suppress young protesters proved ineffective, with the generation of Soweto later dismantling apartheid, while the Emergency generation produced much of India's post-1977 political leadership.\n\nIn recent times, students have once again mobilized against perceived injustices in the education system. A leaked NEET-UG paper and on-screen marking controversy have led to large-scale protests. The state's response has included barricades, tear gas, and injuries to students. Three lessons can be learned from history: force does not disperse genuine grievances, it organizes them; contempt delegitimizes the state faster than it delegitimizes the students; and protest is a symptom of blocked accountability.",
  "summary": "From 1876 to 2026, student grievances expose failures of governance",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}