The BBC reports on Indian women who participated in anti-government protests as part of the "Cockroach Janta Party" (CJP) movement, which used social media to spread its message and document the protests. The article cites four unnamed women who say they faced rape threats, doctored images, and online harassment after speaking out against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. One content creator claims she received over a thousand abusive messages, including slut-shaming and attacks on her questioning of the prime minister. According to the article, 60 protesters and 118 police personnel were injured during the protests in Delhi on July 20.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Thousands of young Indians, including many women, took to social media platforms like Instagram to mock Prime Minister Narendra Modi and participate in anti-government protests. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led movement, used Instagram as a key tool for organizing and documenting the protests, with many participants creating memes, reels, and viral videos that reached hundreds of thousands of people. However, since the protests ended, some protesters have been targeted by police, who have opened criminal cases against them, including doxxing and abuse online. Many women involved in the movement have reported being slut-shamed and abused on social media, with their personal details and photos being shared online. The exact number of injured protesters is disputed, with the CJP claiming that many more were hurt than the official count of 60 protesters and 118 police personnel.
Written for “Indian Women's Protest Abuse” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's use of language such as 'slut-shamed' and the framing of the women's experiences as a form of targeted abuse suggests a clear critique of right-wing ideology and its impact on marginalized groups, particularly women. The phrase 'cockroach protesters' is also likely intended to be derogatory, implying that the protests were seen as a nuisance or an infestation rather than a legitimate expression of dissent.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score -0.43 for article 443 · logged 2026-08-05
- Published
Their videos lasted only a few seconds: lip-syncs, sarcastic reels and jokes filmed on the way to protests.
asserted
videos → publish → protests
But while thousands of young people filled social media with memes and videos mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi during one of India's biggest anti-government protest in years, many of the women behind those posts say they have paid a heavy price for speaking out.
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they → fill → price
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led movement that helped force the resignation of India's education minister, relied as much on Instagram as it did on marches.
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it → lead → marches
Memes, reels and viral videos became the movement's calling card, documenting everything from protest songs to the police crackdown when officers used tear gas and baton charges to stop demonstrators marching to parliament on 20 July.
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officers → become → July
Delhi police said 60 protesters and 118 police personnel were injured on the day, but the CJP said the number of injured protesters was significantly higher than the official count.
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number → say → count
The posts reached hundreds of thousands of people, turning ordinary students into some of the movement's most recognisable faces.
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posts → reach → faces
Since the protests ended, police have opened criminal cases against some protesters.
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police → end → protesters
But many women say another reckoning played out online.
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reckoning → say → ?
They describe rape threats, doctored images spreading on social media and strangers trawling through their photos and videos.
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They → describe → photos
Some cases spilled into TV debates, police complaints and political statements.
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cases → spill → debates
Many more unfolded quietly, as young women deleted posts, locked their accounts and stopped answering calls from unknown numbers.
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women → unfold → numbers
The BBC spoke to four women and reviewed screenshots of abusive messages, posts and other material they shared.
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they → speak → messages
Their names have not been used to protect their identities.
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names → use → identities
I had been posting about the protests from the beginning, but 20 July was the first time I attended one.
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I → post → one
After the baton charge that day and the internet shutdown around the protest site, I went home and started sharing first-person accounts on Instagram.
I also helped organise food, aid and volunteers.
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I → go → food
I thought I was just helping and didn't think of it as political.
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I → think → it
But the hate started almost immediately.
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hate → start → ?
I was slut-shamed and I was attacked for questioning the prime minister's comments, external after the protest ended.
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protest → sham → comments
[Modi said he forgave the children who had abused him, urging society to do the same rather than punish them or drag them through the courts.
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who → say → courts
]
I have lost count of the number of messages I have deleted and people I have blocked.
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I → lose → messages
But the comments keep coming.
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comments → come → ?
As a content creator, I already live with this feeling of constantly being watched.
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I → live → feeling
Every word I say is scrutinised, mostly by men.
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I → say → men
When I first started creating content, I would block men if they made me feel uncomfortable.
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me → start → men
Over time, the algorithm started pushing my content towards more women.
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algorithm → start → women
I believe that has shielded me from abuse compared with many other female creators.
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that → believe → creators
And still, this happened.
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this → happen → ?
My mother stopped reading the comments on my posts long ago.
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mother → stop → posts
She said she couldn't bear the things strangers were saying about her daughter.
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strangers → say → daughter
I understood.
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I → understand → ?
As a woman in India, you grow up with fear.
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you → grow → fear
You're told not to stay out late, to watch where you go, who you're with and how you'll get home.
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you → tell → who
You learn early that your safety is something you must constantly think about.
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you → learn → ?
When you have a voice online, that fear doesn't disappear.
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fear → have → voice
It just follows you there.
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It → follow → you
I went because I believed the students were standing up for something important.
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students → go → something
Before leaving the Metro station, I propped my phone against a railing and filmed a quick "fit check" [a video showing off her outfit before the protest.
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I → leave → protest
]
"Going to get beaten by cops, guys," I joked.
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I → go → cops
That's the kind of light-hearted videos I usually make.
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I → make → videos
When police fired tear gas and charged protesters that afternoon, I kept filming.
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I → fire → protesters
…and 51 more, not listed.
