In India, a youth-led movement known as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) used social media heavily to express their opposition to the government and to demand the resignation of the education minister. The CJP relied on online platforms like Instagram to share protest-related content, including humorous videos, protest songs, and unfiltered recordings of police using tear gas and batons during demonstrations. The movement gained traction online, but this exposure came with severe consequences for many of the women involved. As the CJP's messages spread and reached millions, female participants became targets for widespread threats and harassment.
Memes, reels, and viral videos served as the core of the CJP's communication strategy. The group focused on a wide range of topics, from lighthearted satirical clips to intense footage of the police's aggressive response to protesters. As their influence expanded, so did the backlash, particularly directed at women. Male trolls dominated the negative discourse, often criticizing the women's involvement and issuing violent threats. The digital activism that initially seemed empowering quickly turned into a source of personal vulnerability for many participants.
The personal toll of online protest
A 20-year-old college student attended her first protest in July and filmed a casual 'fit check' video before the event as part of her usual content. However, her posts soon took a more intense turn as she recorded the police using tear gas and charging through the crowd. One of her videos ended up being broadcast on a national TV channel and rapidly went viral. As her face became widely recognized, strangers began flooding her inbox with degrading messages. Some claimed they would report her to the police, suggesting she could be arrested or physically harmed. Her experience illustrates how even casual online presence can lead to serious risks when linked to political activism.
Another woman, who identifies herself as a content creator, shared her experience attending the 20 July protest. After the event, she posted real-time accounts of the day's events. The backlash she received was immediate and severe. She was overwhelmed by thousands of messages, many of which were explicit or violent in nature. One of her greatest fears was how her mother would react to the comments. Her mother eventually stopped reading the messages after realizing how harsh they were. The online harassment highlighted the dangers women face in digital spaces, particularly in a country where safety for women is an ongoing concern.
Shifting from public view to private safety
As the protests subsided, many of the women began removing their posts, locking their social media accounts, and avoiding contact with strangers. The harassment extended beyond the digital realm, spilling into public debates, television discussions, and even police complaints. Cases documented by the BBC showed how the abuse did not remain confined to online spaces but also impacted the broader social and legal systems. Women faced two layers of threat: the physical risks of attending protests and the emotional burden of enduring online abuse.
One woman admitted she could no longer track the number of threatening messages she had deleted. Another described how this experience was emblematic of the deeper fears many young women in India carry. From an early age, they are taught to monitor their safety in public spaces, including curfews, travel routes, and company. Now, that same fear has followed them into the digital world, where threats and harassment can be just as harmful. The internet, they discovered, did not provide the privacy they had hoped for.
The women had initially thought their involvement, such as sharing jokes or memes, was not political in nature. However, the backlash they faced made it clear that simply being a woman in a visible, digital space could provoke hostility. The fear of online threats followed them, even if they had only wanted to express lighthearted support for a cause. Their experiences underscore a troubling pattern: activism on digital platforms can place women in vulnerable positions, where their safety and well-being are not only personal issues but also reflect broader societal challenges.
