Police begin crackdown on posts linked to CJP protest targeting PM
The Delhi Police began issuing notices to social media accounts directing them to remove “abusive” and “illegal” posts related to the recent Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar. Scrutiny of 2,873 people present at and around the CJP protest at the Jantar Mantar has revealed that over 980 of them have previous criminal records, including cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, crimes against women, illegal firearms and narcotics. The action extends to content targeting senior political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, police sources said on Monday.
The move follows a review of videos, photographs, comments and other content uploaded during and after the month-long agitation. Investigators are examining whether posts violate legal provisions or could disturb public order.
Police analysis showed that at least 101 people have been previously involved in murder cases, 62 in attempt-to-murder cases, 284 in robbery and dacoity cases, 229 under the Arms Act, 135 in snatching cases, 19 in kidnapping cases, and 67 in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, They further said 61 of these individuals have been involved in rape cases, 25 in cases related to outraging modesty of women or molestation, while six have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to police sources, dedicated teams are identifying social media accounts that uploaded abusive content, misinformation, deepfakes or material that could attract action under the Information Technology (IT) Act and other applicable laws. Notices are being issued asking users to delete such posts, while social media platforms are also being approached to take action in accordance with the law.
“Our teams are monitoring every single video properly, and we are issuing notices to social media handles involved in posting fake, deepfake and illegal content,” sources said.
The police’s Social Media Monitoring Team has been maintaining round-the-clock surveillance of online platforms since the protests began, officials said, adding that the exercise will continue as investigators analyse digital evidence and identify more accounts allegedly involved in circulating misleading or unlawful content.
During the monitoring exercise, Delhi Police also identified over 480 social media handles allegedly linked to Pakistan that were actively circulating fake narratives, rumours and AI-generated videos related to the demonstrations.
“These Pakistan-related handles are the same accounts which were active during Operation Sindoor. Teams are also investigating the IP addresses of these handles,” the officer said.
The police recently debunked a viral AI-generated video claiming that Deputy Commissioner of Police Sumit Jha had resigned over the student protests, calling it “completely fake” and releasing the officer’s original footage.
The online crackdown comes amid criticism from several BJP leaders and social media users over the use of abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Government during the protests. They have argued that while demonstrations are a constitutional right, public discourse should maintain respect for constitutional offices.
Meanwhile, several content creators whose videos on the CJP protest had garnered millions of views have claimed that their posts were taken down by Meta and X in recent days, coinciding with the police action.
Separately, The Pioneer has learnt that the Delhi Police is yet to quash the FIRs registered following the violence on July 20, in which 118 security personnel and more than 80 protesters were injured.
The cases remain under investigation. Additionally, the CJP’s demand list included no legal action against protestors who had gathered in Jantar Mantar. However, no written confirmation from the Central Government has been received.
