By late afternoon on July 20, the images from Delhi were difficult to ignore: protesters marching from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament were met with tear gas shells, lathi charge, and mass detentions, while internet services were suspended around central Delhi. But anyone switching on primetime television that evening would have encountered a different story.
Across Republic, News18 India, DD News and ABP News, the focus shifted away from the protesters’ central demands – accountability over the NEET paper leak and student suicides – and towards another narrative: the demonstrations were no longer about students, but about violence, political conspiracy and threats to national security.
