In 2005, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited JNU, a section of students greeted him with black flags and slogans of protest. The university administration issued notices to students and considered disciplinary action.
In his speech, Singh invoked Voltaire:
"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it."
When the administration moved against the protesters, Singh reportedly intervened. Years later, then Vice-Chancellor B.B. Bhattacharya recalled the Prime Minister's message to him. "Please be lenient, Sir."
What stands out is not that a Prime Minister defended the right of students to protest against him. What stands out is that we now regard such conduct as exceptional when it should be the minimum standard in a constitutional democracy.