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New Delhi: The protest called for by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar against the NEET paper leak was eventually called off following assurances from the Union government and the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. By then it had received countrywide support from the young. Just days after the protest ended, a campaign to target the young women (and in some cases, young men) who participated in it began.

Using expletives uttered during the protest as a pretext, their photos and videos are now being circulated on social media, with calls to uncover their names and addresses so they can be “taught a lesson.” In some instances, legal notices are being issued. Furthermore, an FIR has now been registered in Noida against a girl – despite the government agreeing to CJP’s demand that no legal action be taken against the demonstrators.

When The Wire Hindi spoke to CJP spokesperson Ratna Singh regarding the online harassment of mostly woman and girl protesters, she stated, “We were assured that there would be no harassment of any kind. I am in constant touch with the concerned officials. I have also forwarded copies of the FIR related to the Noida incident to them.”

Singh mentioned that she, too, has been facing intense online harassment.

During the protest, agitated students raised various slogans and made statements, some of which included expletives. There are now calls for action to identify them through videos on the protests.

Most of the handles making these demands fervently endorse the ruling BJP and propagate Hindutva ideology. One particular X handle, ‘The Jaipur Dialogues’, posted a photo of a young woman with the caption: “Find her; she has disrespected Prime Minister Modi.”

In a separate post – without tagging the Delhi Police – the same account stated: “Delhi Police, please find her and send her to jail to teach her a lesson.” In the comments section of that post, a user posted a screenshot purportedly displaying the social media handle of the young woman seen in the video.

‘Mr. Sinha’, another Hindutva X handle participating in this campaign, shared images of two young women and appealed to the public to identify them. The post urged people to find out where they live, which housing society they reside in, and where they study or work, so that their neighbours, colleagues, and classmates could be informed about their alleged “mentality.”

Rahul Shivshankar, a TV anchor with the CNN-News18 group known for frequently defending the government, supported a Delhi Police notice – which sought the full name, address, contact details, and email ID of the accused individuals – and stated: “Foul language cannot be considered freedom of expression.”

Many other Hindutva handles have joined this campaign; some are announcing rewards for uncovering names and addresses, while others are openly talking about teaching the individuals a violent lesson.

The female protesters accused of using “objectionable language” against the Prime Minister are facing severe harassment on social media. They are being subjected to death and rape threats, and their private information is being made public. The prime minister’s late night video claiming shock at what especially female protesters were saying has added fuel to the fire.

Based on a complaint filed against a girl whose photos and videos had gone viral, a Zero FIR has been registered at the Expressway Police Station in Noida under Sections 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 353(1) (statements creating public nuisance), and 356(1) (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). Subsequently, the case has been transferred to the Sansad Marg Police Station in New Delhi for further investigation.

It has been alleged that the girl........

© The Wire