Soon after the Jantar Mantar protest ended on July 25, Shradha Singh, 23, an M.Sc. student, posted a seven-second reel on her Instagram account, which has 3.78 lakh followers. Within an hour, the video had crossed a million views before she deleted it. Five days and two apologies later, she says she is still receiving rape and death threats.
The video, which Ms. Singh said was meant for “entertainment purposes”, shows her at the protest site with Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel in the background, overlaid with a Harpic ad jingle. It was soon reposted by meme pages and social media accounts alleging that she had insulted the Army, prompting her to delete it within an hour. Three days later, she posted two apology videos. But the threats, she said, have not stopped.
‘Teach them a lesson’
Ms. Singh is not alone. The Hindu has verified multiple instances of women who participated in the Jantar Mantar protest being subjected to online harassment, including doxxing, rape threats, and the circulation of personal information. Videos and photographs of women who attended the protest or gave social media bytes have been shared by several X and Instagram handles urging their followers to “teach them a lesson”.
One woman was declared “most wanted” in a post that said a “search is on” and sought information about her whereabouts. By Thursday (July 30, 2026) afternoon, posts claiming she had been identified were circulating online, carrying her name, city, and a copy of a zero FIR registered in Noida under Sections 352, 353(1), and 356(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. In the purported video, the woman is alleged to have “abused” Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Instagram user Anoop Khetan, who has 1.6 million followers, shared a video first claiming that the woman declared “most wanted” had been identified and that multiple FIRs had been filed against her.
Abuse and harassment
Ms. Singh said she has been dealing with threatening calls and messages “every other minute”. One comment under her post read: “If I see you somewhere, I will kill you.”
“It has been five days, and accounts keep reposting my video and apology. This is not trolling anymore; it is abuse and harassment. My phone number and address have been circulated. I cannot repeat the kind of messages my mother received. I had to remove her Instagram account,” she told The Hindu.
Ms. Singh also alleged that some accounts had refused to take down her video when approached. “They told me they had been paid to post it and would not remove it. I realised I was just a tool to propagate the agenda of these accounts. They want to teach me how to be respectful while saying vile things to me and my family,” she said.
‘Did not insult the Army’
Ms. Singh said she had realised shortly after uploading the reel that some viewers found it disrespectful, and so she had deleted it. “People are saying I insulted the Army. I did not. The personnel in the video were RAF. I did not say anything in the clip,” she said.
She alleged that her video was later aired by DD News, where it was described as an insult to the Army. “Even in my apology video, I made a mistake and referred to them as the Army. But it was RAF, not Army. The reaction has been very disproportionate,” she said.
A yoga instructor who has been creating online content since 2020, Ms. Singh said that mass reporting has restricted some features on her Instagram account, including messaging. “Through my bike registration number, people found my phone number and address. I have lost clients. Nobody asked me to apologise. I thought it would stop all of this. But it didn’t,” she said.
Harassed in a market
The Hindu found that several accounts involved in sharing such content have, in recent days, amplified videos alleging that protesters abused public authorities or assaulted police personnel. They have also criticised demands for the withdrawal of FIRs against protesters and the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Videos of individuals apologising or being confronted in public have also been widely circulated.
Another protester, a 22-year-old woman who requested anonymity, said her photographs were included in a collage circulated online seeking the arrest of 12 women accused of “abusing” Mr. Modi and taking an “anti-India” stance.
“My posts are filled with abusive comments and rape threats. I have a right to express myself,” she said. “I was in a market with my mother when two men approached and started harassing me. Relatives are calling my parents after seeing these videos. But I will neither deactivate my account nor delete my posts,” said the content creator, who has over 3 lakh followers.
Coordinated doxxing
Posts targeting women participants were amplified by accounts including The Jaipur Dialogues, Hindutva Vigilant, and others, across social media platforms. In one post, Instagram user Rohit Sharma said a list of individuals had been prepared and called on followers to share their locations. Another account, Indic Matrix, claimed to know a participant’s address and phone number.
The Hindu found that some videos targeting women have been circulating since July 23. The Jaipur Dialogues and Hindutva Vigilant recently posted that they had received takedown notices over videos shared about one of the women, which a complaint described as “derogatory, malicious, and defamatory”.
In response to queries from The Hindu, Hindutva Vigilant said, “I only shared videos posted by the person who filed the complaint and tagged Delhi Police requesting appropriate legal action. I do not possess anyone’s personal information.” The Jaipur Dialogues did not respond to an email seeking comment till the time of publication.
Published – July 31, 2026 01:00 am IST
