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Women in student protests describe online targeting
The Guardian··20 Aug
A 17 August 2026 newsletter profiled women who took part in Cockroach Janta Party protests over exam leaks. AISA president Neha Bora, 29, said she fasted 23 days seeking the Education Minister's resignation. Mumbai actor Rhiya Ahir, 27, said she blocked a police van holding detained students. Both later described organised online targeting of women protesters.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you joined or filmed the student marches, reports say cropped and AI-altered pictures of women were later posted with captions asking others to find them.
- Anyone named in those posts can note that Delhi Police also registered an FIR over alleged derogatory protest clips and asked X for account-holder details.
- If you are a woman in student politics, the profiles record family calls, village police visits and deleted accounts after the July sit-in was withdrawn.
What's Happening
- The Cockroach Janta Party protests ended on 25 July after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned.
- Neha Bora said she is touring with a Gen Z Rising outreach campaign on education reforms while completing a PhD at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
- Rhiya Ahir said she helped about 20 students get home the day she blocked the van, and that later posts focused on her modelling photographs.
How The Online Campaign Followed The Sit-In
- The Print reported that accounts including The Jaipur Dialogues posted close-up cropped images of women after the 20 July crackdown, with captions asking Delhi Police to jail them.
- BBC journalists spoke to four women who described rape threats, doctored images and strangers trawling their photos; their names were withheld.
- DW reported TG Mohandas was arrested in Kerala over videos in which he allegedly said women at the protests liked rape and called for police to open fire.
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