A generation of angry young Indians takes to the streets to challenge Modi

New Delhi — Kashish Rawat, a 22-year-old economics student, traveled to the capital on Saturday to join demonstrations critics say challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s electoral project. Upon arrival she found streets choked by metal barricades as police moved against the mostly young protesters, beating some and hauling others into buses while chasing away the rest. Videos of the clashes circulated on social media, fueling anger and defiance among students who say the crackdown is intended to suppress dissent. The protests are led by India’s so-called Cockroach generation, aimed at pressuring authorities over an ongoing review of voter lists that activists say has removed more than 130 million names since last year. Critics warn the purge could disenfranchise millions; they have demanded the resignation of election chief Gyanesh Kumar. The Election Commission says the exercise is needed to remove duplicates and ineligible entries. Modi has not publicly commented; some party leaders have dismissed demonstrators as anarchists and insinuated foreign backing without evidence. The dispute strikes at the heart of Indian democracy—the right to vote—and tests whether a generation raised under Modi’s 12-year rule can sustain a broad challenge to his Hindu nationalist government. Earlier this summer, protesters forced the resignation of Modi’s education minister, a rare example of street pressure translating into political change. Rawat urged patience but said, “We are not going anywhere.”