Gen Z rising? Why young Indians aren't taking to the streets

By Admin

24 Oct, 2025

India’s Generation Z is vast, restless, and hyper-connected. Comprising more than 370 million people under 25 nearly a quarter of the country’s population this generation is more informed and digitally empowered than any before it. Smartphones and social media keep them constantly aware of politics, corruption, and inequality. Yet, despite this connectivity, taking to the streets seems both risky and remote. Fear of being branded “anti-national,” regional and caste divides, economic pressures, and a sense that individual actions may have little impact weigh heavily on India’s youth.

Global Youth Movements: A Contrast

Elsewhere in Asia and Africa, Gen Z has been far from quiet. In Nepal, young protesters toppled a government in just 48 hours last month. In Madagascar, a youth-led movement ousted its leader. In Indonesia, protests against rising living costs, corruption, and inequality forced government concessions. Bangladesh witnessed regime change following youth anger over job quotas and corruption. These movements were fast-moving, decentralized, and coordinated through encrypted apps and social media, showing the power of digital-age activism.

Faint Sparks in India

In India, the sparks of youth discontent have been smaller and localized. In September, Ladakh saw violent clashes between police and protesters demanding statehood, which activist Sonam Wangchuk described as a sign of “Gen Z’s frenzy.” National politics reflected this mood as well; Congress leader Rahul Gandhi highlighted the potential of Gen Z to prevent voter fraud in response to alleged electoral irregularities in Karnataka. Delhi police have even drawn up contingency plans for potential youth-led demonstrations in response to regional unrest, including the Nepal uprising.

Online, debates rage on platforms like Reddit and X. Some users urge Indian youth to stage similar protests, while others warn against romanticizing leaderless revolts, noting the violence in Nepal. Fact-checking outlets describe an “online battle” within the generation itself: one side sees demonstrations as legitimate calls for justice, the other suspects foreign manipulation.

Why India’s Gen Z Is Muted

Despite their awareness, India’s Gen Z faces multiple barriers:

• Fragmentation: Indian youth are divided by regional, linguistic, caste, and economic lines. Sudhanshu Kaushik of the Centre for Youth Policy explains that a Gen Z uprising in India would be splintered Dalit youth may focus on social justice, urban youth on infrastructure and jobs, and Tamil-speaking youth on regional rights.
  
  

• Fear of Stigma: Being branded “anti-national” is a strong deterrent. Dhairya Choudhary, a political science graduate, notes that this label is often used to discredit dissent.
  
  

• Restricted Spaces: Universities, once hubs of activism, now limit or ban protests. Hajara Najeeb, a researcher, observes that institutions have “lost that spirit.”
  
  

• Economic Pressures: Job anxiety and economic responsibility limit the willingness to protest. Kaushik highlights rising migration abroad as youth take action in ways other than protests.
  
  

• Political Disengagement: Only 38% of eligible 18-year-olds registered to vote in 2024. Young Indians increasingly define themselves through religious, cultural, and linguistic identities rather than traditional politics.
  
  

The Legacy of Protest

India’s youth are no strangers to activism. The older members of Gen Z witnessed massive street movements during their teens: Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption protests, 2012 Delhi gang-rape demonstrations, and later, campus-led protests in 2019 against the revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy, farm reform laws, and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The 2019 CAA protests, largely driven by Gen Z, were among the most significant, though violent clashes at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University resulted in arrests and long-term consequences.

“The government has demonized protest to such an extent... few people even think of protesting,” says Jatin Jha, a 26-year-old youth fellow. While authorities claim they aim to maintain law and order, protests are often portrayed as influenced by outside forces.

A Generation Watching, Not Revolting

Sociologist Dipankar Gupta notes that youth energy is fleeting. Each generation tends to pursue its own causes rather than inherit previous movements. Globally, youth uprisings can topple regimes, but lasting change is not guaranteed evident in the Arab Spring, Bangladesh, or Nepal.

For now, India’s Gen Z seems more watchful than rebellious. Their dissent is subdued, but their aspirations are clear: they are aware, informed, and digitally connected, waiting for the conditions that might turn their energy into tangible action. While the streets may not yet see a unified Indian Gen Z uprising, the generation’s ambitions and digital activism suggest that change may take forms beyond mass protests.