The Nirvik Bureau, Bhubaneswar, 18 October 2026 An elected government is entrusted with power by the people, not entitled to rule over them indefinitely. Peaceful protest and the demand for political change are not threats to democracy; they are among its most essential safeguards. Democracy is often reduced to the act of voting. Citizens cast their ballots, a government is formed, and the winners claim the authority to govern until the next election. But is democracy merely a periodic ritual in which people exercise their choice once every few years and then surrender their political agency to those elected? Does electoral victory entitle a government to...