India’s youth protesters face detentions and tighter limits on dissent

India’s Gen Z-led protests, which helped bring about the resignation of federal education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July, have since met a much tougher response from authorities. The restrictions and detentions imposed on a later protest over voting rights show how the government is using public order rules to limit demonstrations, raising questions about the space for dissent.

The Cockroach Janta Party’s movement drew young people from varied social and economic backgrounds, with online satire helping them challenge political authority. Thousands of peaceful protesters were detained last month, and CJP figures have faced repeated detentions and legal action. The article also recalls the prolonged farmers’ protests and the case of student activist Umar Khalid, who has spent more than six years in jail without a trial.