Young women who used Instagram to document and promote India's Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests say they have faced sustained online harassment, including rape threats, doctored images and doxxing, in the weeks since the demonstrations. The youth-led movement, which helped force the resignation of India's education minister, relied heavily on memes, reels and viral videos alongside street marches, turning ordinary students into recognisable public faces and exposing them to targeted abuse once the protests ended.

The BBC spoke to four women, whose identities were withheld for their protection, about being slut-shamed, having private photos and videos trawled by strangers, and receiving threats after criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The unrest culminated in a 20 July march on parliament that police dispersed with tear gas and baton charges; Delhi police said 60 protesters and 118 officers were injured, though the CJP disputes the official protester injury figure as too low. While some protesters now face criminal cases, many of the women say the harassment they endured online has been quieter but just as damaging, prompting them to delete posts, lock accounts and avoid unknown callers.