The Jantar Mantar protests may have ended, but a massive wave of coordinated online harassment has just begun for the women who participated.
- The Trigger Case: Shradha Singh, a 23-year-old M.Sc. student, posted a 7-second reel from the protest site featuring Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel overlaid with a Harpic ad jingle. Although she deleted the video within an hour and posted two public apologies, she continues to receive severe rape and death threats five days later.
- Extreme Doxxing: Trolls utilized Singh’s bike registration number to trace her phone number and physical address, which are now being heavily circulated online. The abuse escalated to the point where she was forced to delete her mother’s Instagram account to protect her.
- Organized Agendas: When Singh reached out to specific accounts asking them to take down the reposted video, some flatly refused, explicitly stating they had been “paid to post it”.
- Widespread Targeting: This is a systemic issue affecting multiple protesters. Videos and photos of women giving media bytes are being shared by social media handles actively urging followers to “teach them a lesson”.
- Legal Weaponization: One woman was labeled “most wanted” online, with posts broadcasting her name, city, and a copy of a zero FIR registered in Noida under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly “abusing” the Prime Minister.
- Helpline Overload: A legal aid helpline has recorded over 300 calls recently, including 50 direct reports from young girls and women receiving rape and death threats simply for their presence at the protests.
