The images of protesting students being lathi-charged by the police are disturbing and distressing. Emotions are understandably running high.

Rather than joining those on the right who condemn the protesters wholesale, or those on the left who condemn the government wholesale, let us consider three distinct questions:

Who is behind the protests?
What is causing the protests?
How should the government respond?

I will address these questions through the acronym CIT: Communicate, Implement, Target.

Communicate

If the government believes that foreign actors are exploiting the protests for purposes that threaten national security, it needs to communicate its case clearly.

Otherwise, the public may begin to suspect that allegations of a “foreign hand” are merely a pretext for suppressing dissent. Even if presenting evidence involves some strategic cost, allowing a vacuum of information may carry a far greater political and social cost.

The Mahabharata offers a relevant example. When Arjuna publicly declared that he would kill Jayadratha for his role in Abhimanyu’s death, the announcement alerted the Kauravas, who strengthened their defenses around him. Yet it also clarified the Pandavas’ objective and powerfully motivated their own forces.

Publicly declaring an objective may give opponents a map, but it also gives allies a map—and a morale boost. Similarly, even if the government can’t reveal sensitive operational details, it does need to present enough evidence to explain what it is acting against and what it is seeking to protect.

That brings us to educational reform. A foreign hand may fan the fire, but it cannot ignite what domestic failure has not first made combustible.

Implement

Good intentions do not excuse poor implementation.

Deep-rooted problems undeniably exist in the educational system. Whether they have recently worsened or social media has merely brought long-standing failures into sharper focus, they need to be addressed sincerely, visibly, urgently.

After the Kurukshetra war, Yudhishthira did not dismiss the devastation merely because the Pandavas’ cause had been righteous. He accepted responsibility for rebuilding the kingdom. A noble objective did not exempt him from repairing the damage that had occurred while pursuing that objective.

Similarly, working for a larger national good cannot excuse systemic failures that damage students’ futures. Citizens should not be forced to choose between patriotic pride and administrative competence. Loyalty to a good cause does not require unqualified loyalty to those who claim to champion it, especially when their efforts fall short.

The Bhagavad-gita (18.48) states that every endeavor is covered by imperfections, just as fire is covered by smoke. Systems burdened by decades of dysfunction cannot be transformed overnight. Yet that truth cannot justify apathy or continuing unaccountability. Reform means tending the fire so that its light and warmth increasingly prevail over the smoke.

Educational reform needs to go beyond campaign promises and policy announcements. When failures recur, as they have with paper leaks, tangible action must include prompt investigation, transparent accountability, and substantial correction.

A political ecosystem that does not allow honest criticism becomes like a body that does not feel pain. It may be comfortable briefly, but it will be endangered deeply.

Good intentions may earn public trust, but only good implementation sustains it.

Target

The government needs to target the destructive, not the distressed.

Power always carries the danger of misuse. India’s sacred texts repeatedly remind us that no person or institution should be presumed incorruptible or placed beyond accountability. Even the Bhagavatam candidly records occasions when social leaders—whether brahmanas or kshatriyas—acted improperly. Acknowledging faults does not weaken institutions; refusing to acknowledge them does.

Those who peacefully express legitimate concerns deserve to be heard. Those who exploit those concerns to promote violence, destruction, or lawlessness need to be identified and dealt with firmly. Compassion toward the distressed and firmness toward the destructive are not contradictory; together, they constitute responsible governance.

Krishna demonstrated such an approach before the Kurukshetra war. He sincerely pursued peace with Duryodhana. When Duryodhana rejected him, Krishna appealed to the Kuru elders and even approached Karna, urging them to choose what was morally righteous and rationally defensible. Force became necessary only after persuasion had been exhausted.

Compassion for the distressed; consequences for the destructive.

Let us pray for the swift recovery of all those injured and for the emotional temperature to come down.

May the protesters appreciate the government’s responsibility to safeguard the country’s security and integrity. And may the government appreciate that, for students, a paper leak is not merely a technical glitch—it can jeopardize years of hard work and the course of their entire lives.

By communicating clearly, implementing credibly, and targeting carefully, may the immediate unrest be calmed without silencing legitimate grievances, and may the educational failures underlying that unrest be genuinely reformed.

***

18.47 It is better to engage in one’s own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation and perform it perfectly. Duties prescribed according to one’s nature are never affected by sinful reactions.