NEW DELHI: From Batman masks to volunteer rescue networks, young protesters in India are adopting improvised tactics to evade surveillance and sustain demonstrations amid a sweeping security crackdown in the capital.
With tens of thousands of security personnel deployed around key areas, including the main protest site at Jantar Mantar, demonstrators have resorted to flash protests at unexpected locations, forcing authorities to respond on the move.
The protests seek the resignation of India’s election commission chief over allegations of voter-roll manipulation to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party. The Election Commission has denied wrongdoing.
Thousands of people were detained during weekend demonstrations, although many were later released.
Digital Rescue Network
Meghnad S., a 36-year-old content creator, has helped organise a network of around 170 volunteers using smartphones and online coordination to track police vehicles and help locate detained protesters.
Once a detainee’s location is identified, volunteers use a digital dashboard and WhatsApp groups to connect them with drivers offering transport, food and water.
Doctors are also sometimes recruited to accompany those being released.
The network has become an informal support system for demonstrators trying to find their way home after detention.
Masks And Make-Up
Student leader Neha Bora attracted online attention after police detained a woman who resembled her. Bora later posted a photograph with her lookalike, describing the resemblance as “pure coincidence, not strategy”.
Other demonstrators have worn Batman masks to avoid being identified, while Bollywood actress Richa Chadha urged protesters to consider make-up as a way to frustrate facial-recognition surveillance.
Videos also showed protesters linking arms as police moved to detain them, with some managing to slip away from waiting buses.
The demonstrations have become a test of endurance between security forces seeking to contain gatherings and young activists using social media, rapid coordination and unconventional tactics to keep their movement visible.
