NEW DELHI -- India's latest youth-led protests could mark a turning point in how Gen Z engages in politics, as young protesters say a recent police crackdown in India's capital has strengthened their determination to challenge authorities they believe are undermining their basic constitutional voting and other rights.

Analysts warn that this anger can translate into lasting youth political mobilization. Much will depend on whether student groups can sustain collective action and whether the Modi government addresses their concerns, they say.

The question came into focus on Oct. 10, when police blocked protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar, Delhi's designated protest site, and detained thousands -- around 7,000 according to local reports -- ahead of a rally demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a youth-led movement that spearheaded protests over examination-paper leaks in June returned to the streets alongside student groups and civil society organizations, this time focusing on alleged irregularities in voter lists.

The current mobilization centers on the election commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, an exercise that has removed around 130 million people. The commission says the process is intended to identify deceased voters, duplicate entries and other people no longer eligible. Critics said eligible voters have been excluded, and have raised concerns about electoral fairness.

Protesters chant slogans at a flag rally by the Cockroach Janta Party in New Delhi, Oct. 16.

"You are asking people, who have been living here since forever to prove their identity. Does that mean Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party will decide who will vote?" Saurabh Tripathi, a 28-year-old doctoral student at Jamia Millia Islamia and a member of the All India Students' Association, told Nikkei Asia.

He said youth mobilization "reflects wider concerns about government influence over independent institutions, extending beyond electoral fairness to universities, farmers and workers."

"Now, until there is accountability, no one will rest," Tripathi said. "This is not just against this government but to save actual democracy." CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who was briefly held by authorities last Saturday, was reportedly arrested on Saturday after being detained again the previous day while heading to a protest. The rally swelled through Friday evening, with demonstrators holding national flags.

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party, center, and Neha Bora, national president of the All India Students' Association, left in white, hold a news conference in New Delhi on Oct. 15.

For Annapoorna, a 22-year-old Delhi University student, the Oct. 10 crackdown strengthened her determination to remain politically engaged. She alleged that officers pulled women from buses by grabbing their hair, beat protesters and seized phones to delete videos of large demonstrations in New Delhi.

"People are really angry and when we see our friends being beaten and brutalized for demanding accountability, then we can't really be silent or give up on speaking about our rights," she told Nikkei Asia.

Social media has become central to how Indian youth document their recent experiences with Delhi police. It is used to challenge and ridicule pro-government television coverage. Platforms that helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi build his political image are now being used by youth to mock the administration and circulate videos beyond the reach of traditional news outlets.

A protester reacts as she tries to stop a police bus carrying detained protesters during a protest organized by the Cockroach Janta Party, in New Delhi, Oct. 10.

Ebaad Rehman, a 24-year-old student who traveled from Kerala to attend the Oct. 10 rally, said he was detained and held on a bus for about an hour before someone pushed the door, allowing him to run off.

"What scares me is how the government is getting the confidence to do all these things," he told Nikkei Asia. He also said friends who had supported Modi were shocked by the crackdown on young protesters.

Political analyst Asim Ali said the movement could expand beyond student concerns to address broader questions about elections and democratic institutions. Its future, he said, "would depend partly on who leads it as its focus widens."

Ali compared its possible trajectory with past student movements in India when grassroots agitation grew into wider political campaigns involving opposition parties. He suggested that established political groups and student organizations should play "a larger role if the current mobilization is to endure." "The crackdown has also changed how some young people view the BJP," Ali said.

"Some of those detained were middle-class Hindu youths," he said, "a group the party has portrayed as supportive of it." Their participation in protests, in his view, highlights the limits of assuming that young people who have supported the ruling party will remain politically aligned with it.

Protesters react as security personnel detain them during a Cockroach Janta Party protest in New Delhi on Oct. 11.

Apoorvanand Jha, a Delhi University professor, said the crackdown was unlikely to deter young protesters altogether, although future mobilization might take a different form.

"Young people are shocked, and they are trying to figure out their strategy," he told Nikkei Asia, adding: "Large demonstrations could give way to smaller groups -- I don't think they will abandon it easily." "Street protests have offered young people a sense of freedom, solidarity and purpose," he said, predicting that the crackdown experience will keep younger protesters involved in politics, even if large demonstrations become less frequent.

Indeed, according to Tripathi, the student in New Delhi, "The street is the only way to protect the mother of democracy." Quratulain Rehbar is a contributing writer.