Hostels burned, exams leaked, forests were felled and the air turned toxic. In 2025, India’s Gen Z repeatedly poured onto the streets, pushing back against what they saw as institutional neglect, broken systems and ignored warnings.
The year opened in January with midnight protests at CMR Engineering College near Hyderabad, after women students alleged that a mobile phone had been hidden in a hostel bathroom ventilation duct. Police detained mess workers and seized phones, but even after suspects were released, students said the episode exposed deeper failures around safety and accountability on campuses.
In March, violence erupted at Jadavpur University when protests demanding long-pending student union elections escalated into clashes involving Education Minister Bratya Basu. A student was injured, roads were blocked across Kolkata, and the Calcutta High Court later criticised what it called a “one-sided” police investigation.
April saw environmental anger take centre stage at the University of Hyderabad, where students and teachers resisted the clearing of forested land at Kancha Gachibowli for development. The Telangana High Court and later the Supreme Court halted the work, warning officials over ecological damage.
By June, frustration over competitive exams spilled onto the streets. Protests over NEET-UG irregularities revived anger from 2024, while July and August were dominated by SSC aspirants alleging crashes, distant centres and paper leaks. Lathi charges and detentions became defining visuals.
September turned deadly in Ladakh, where a hunger strike led by Sonam Wangchuk for statehood and Sixth Schedule protection tipped into violence in Leh, leaving four people dead. The same period saw an 86-day shutdown at Tezpur University, and later clashes at Panjab University and VIT Bhopal over governance, health and hostel conditions.
From women’s safety and exam fairness to land, environment and representation, 2025 showed that India’s youngest generation was not disengaged—but deeply invested, and increasingly unwilling to stay silent.
