Delhi Police Probes Jantar Mantar Protests Digital Campaign, 400 Pakistan-Linked Handles Under Scanner

Last Updated:August 03, 2026, 10:51 IST

The same overseas accounts that were active during earlier periods of heightened online activity, including around Op Sindoor, allegedly reappeared during Jantar Mantar protests

Delhi Police is investigating a “potentially coordinated online campaign" linked to the recent student protests at Jantar Mantar, with the probe now extending beyond social media activity to financial transactions and overseas digital networks.

According to investigation details accessed by CNN-News18, police are examining around 180 influencer and YouTuber accounts, nearly three private digital marketing companies, and more than 400 social media handles allegedly linked to Pakistan. Investigators suspect these accounts may have amplified selected protest-related content in a synchronised manner, creating the impression of a much larger nationwide crisis than the situation on the ground.

The investigation is still underway, and officials have not publicly named any influencer, company, or account involved. The claims are part of the police’s working line of inquiry and have not yet been tested in court.

Investigators are studying a recurring pattern in which the same overseas accounts that were active during earlier periods of heightened online activity, including around Operation Sindoor, allegedly reappeared during the Jantar Mantar protests. Police sources believe this could indicate a longer-term foreign-linked effort aimed at exploiting domestic discontent and increasing social and political tensions inside India.

The probe has also moved into the financial domain. Agencies are looking beyond direct bank transfers to identify possible indirect compensation mechanisms. These include peer-to-peer cryptocurrency transactions, affiliate advertising credits, third-party marketing consultancy retainers, and other payment routes that may leave little or no conventional paper trail.

Investigators are focusing on how digital narratives can rapidly expand through platform algorithms. According to the police assessment, small or misleading stories, edited video clips, deepfakes, or exaggerated claims are often first posted by a handful of influencer accounts, anonymous handles, or foreign-linked pages. Once these posts receive early engagement through likes, shares, comments, and watch time, platform algorithms may push them to larger audiences, making the issue appear more significant than it initially was.

Police are also examining whether multiple accounts reposted, remixed, and promoted the same material in quick succession. Investigators suspect that AI-based tools may have been used to generate several variations of identical narratives across Instagram, X, YouTube, and other platforms simultaneously.

Officials say the central question is not merely whether misinformation was circulated, but whether there was deliberate and coordinated amplification designed to transform a limited protest issue into a wider online crisis capable of generating panic, anger, confusion, and heightened tensions offline.

About the Author

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations and Security Affairs, Network18

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