‘Gen Z’ Takes to the Streets as Modi Faces India’s Biggest Political Crisis

Last week, young protesters in India defied more than 10,000 security personnel deployed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. They climbed over barricades, chanted anti-government slogans and clashed with police. Before police officers forcibly put a young protester on a bus, he shouted, “Long live the revolution.”

Growing instability and rising support for the opposition have created the biggest political crisis for Mr. Modi since he came to power in 2014. Nearly one-quarter of India’s 1 billion voters are under the age of 30, placing Generation Z at the centre of the growing unrest.

Ananya Rathuri, a 21-year-old student at Delhi University who took part in Saturday’s protests, said, “The fear has gone from within us. We are no longer afraid that the police will detain or beat us. This generation is rather enjoying these things.”

The independent Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) has reported that growing discontent with Mr. Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government could push the number of street protests in India this year beyond the total recorded in any year over the past decade. Protesters in Delhi and other locations are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.