In the aftermath of the nationwide protests against the NEET paper leaks, women protesters have found themselves subjected to intense scrutiny, online harassment, and targeted abuse. From doxxing and threats to questions about their judgement and legitimacy, the reaction reveals a broader discomfort with women exercising political agency in public spaces. Drawing connections between contemporary events and the long history of women's participation in movements such as the Chipko Movement and the Wrestlers' Protest, the piece argues that the policing of women's dissent is rooted in patriarchal ideas about obedience, purity, and acceptable femininity.
One of the most disturbing and truly horrific by-products of the country’s reaction to the protests that occurred at Jantar Mantar and across the country against the NEET paper leaks is the way the female protesters are being treated in the aftermath.
A girl in Gurgaon was stalked and sent rape and death threats through her online profiles for retorting to a police officer who was a physical threat to her. She and her single mother were forced to apologise for their usage of profanity against people in power. She is 15, barely out of school, and was hounded down for having a reaction to being hurt and manhandled. I don’t know what they expected her to do: thank them for showing her that exercising her right, which is enscribed in the Constitution, is wrong? Or be grateful to them for helping her see the 'right' path? (Pun entirely intended.)
This is not an isolated incident by any means. Women are being doxxed and hounded down in a manner akin to a witch hunt across the country for partaking in what was a nationwide movement. Their integrity is being questioned for rebelling against the power structures that have been put in place by men. Their disobedience is being viewed a sign of grave fault in character and their judgement and ability to discern what they deem to be right and wrong is being scrutinised. The right-wing audience and media, as a whole, cannot seem to fathom a woman showing any form of autonomy by going and participating in the protests and picking a side.
At least she has more courage than all the douche-tard online bros who go around saying, "I don’t pick a side".
My anger for this specific ick goes back to the time I realised that my male friends could somehow stay out later in the evening than I could at 12. Patriarchy fucking sucks.
There's this infuriating notion of ‘yeh humare desh ki betiyan hai’ (these are our country’s daughters), and that our country’s daughters can never be ‘insolent’ because that does not align with the purity standards these ‘desh ki betis’ uphold. In reality, choosing to go to a protest and taking to the streets is an incredible power move. And one of the biggest things most right-wing members of our society are scared of watching is any woman wield any sort of power. For them, that ability is only restricted to our upper-caste, upper-class, male members of society. The sanitisation of women and immediately placing them on a pedestal is a way of limiting their access in society. By erasing our rougher, more real edges, where our subservience is appreciated, they take away our visibility. I’d rather be a rebel and a "troublemaker" than their version of a goddess and the epitome of virtue.
Women automatically get infantilised as not being ‘sound decision-makers’. Our opinions are never our own. It gets automatically assumed that they have been informed by the more ‘influential’ members of society, aka men. It is truly diabolical the lengths people on the internet would go to just disprove a woman’s validity and ability to discern right from wrong. It is even stranger because women have historically been key members of protests that have happened in our country. From the Chipko Movement, which was spearheaded by women in rural areas to save ecological resources, to the Wrestlers’ Protest in 2023, which was against the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, accusing him of sexual harassment: women have been pivotal in people's movements across the country.
The month of July saw India unite across social strata in unprecedented numbers for a single cause against those in power. It proved that power can be shaken, and now they are doing everything they can to poke holes in the resistance. It's only natural that they would come for the women first. But it also means we're getting under their skin. Whether they want to admit it or not. They are scared.
It goes without saying that everybody has the power to dissent. The outrage and reaction that's been directed at women protesters, reveals just how uncomfortable society remains with women exercising that power openly. Women are often deemed capable enough to shoulder immense responsibilities in their personal lives, yet their judgement is suddenly questioned when they step into public life and make political choices. If you can trust a woman to run a household — which are some of the most well-oiled machines— you can trust her judgement. It takes discipline, planning, and execution to an absolute T, to be able to make the labour and effort behind managing the inner workings of a home, almost invisible.
That is precisely why the attempt to undermine the legitimacy of women protesters feels so predictable yet so absurd. So yes, the ‘desh ki betiyan’ are on the streets, and they will continue to do so because the way our society has treated them has made them nothing but more resilient. If anything, years of being underestimated, scrutinised, and policed have only strengthened our resolve.
In more bad news for the forces of tyranny, this means that the women and "betiyan" of India will never, ever give up.
Here's more from Homegrown:
The Acts Of Resistance That Defined Jantar Mantar & Protests Across India
Sonam Wangchuk, Ken-Betwa, & The Unequal Politics Of Protest & Solidarity In India