When students spoke up at Jantar Mantar, universities fell silent

5 min readNew DelhiJul 30, 2026 04:18 PM IST What is the role of the university in a social movement of this scale? (Image generated via AI)Thirty-six days at Jantar Mantar changed more than one minister. They forced thousands of students to ask a question Indian universities have spent decades avoiding: what do you owe us when the system fails? Yet the resignation, important as it was, should not be allowed to close one of the more difficult questions raised by the protests. What is the role of the university in a social movement of this scale?Even more indicative than the initial silence of universities was the language through which some institutions eventually addressed their students. Delhi University’s advisory opened with the reassurance that students’ safety mattered. It cautioned