New Delhi, July 23: Quick hacks have flooded social media on how to subvert recurring internet shutdowns and cure a tear gas burn as cockroach movement protesters refuse to budge from Jantar Mantar and their skirmishes with the police continue.
Offline maps and antidotes are among the many tips being shared in helping protesters stay put.
A social media user who felt stranded amid internet shutdowns several times during his vigil advised participants to download offline maps before reaching the protest site.
He recommended keeping Bluetooth-based messaging apps that work without mobile data or WiFi, and installing locally run large language models (LLMs) that operate directly on a device instead of relying on cloud-based AI services, allowing access even during internet outages.
A social media user suggested carrying a mixture of equal parts water and an antacid such as Maalox or Digene, saying it may help reduce the burning sensation and irritation in eyes after exposure to tear gas.
Another admitted to carrying a painter’s mask or a normal dust mask and protective goggles to reduce exposure to smoke and irritants.
A protester said he also carried two helmets — one for himself and another to lend to the needy. The trend shows how demonstrators are increasingly relying on crowdsourced advice.
Memes & reels fuel Gen Z’s reply to CJP protest
The CJP protest unfolded at Jantar Mantar, on the streets where thousands battled police batons and quickly segued into social media with a distinctly Gen Z flavour as memes, music and mirth accompanied demands for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
As the protests gain steam in the national capital and across cities such as Mumbai, Indore, Udaipur and Hyderabad, Instagram and X have become extensions of the demonstration with participants mixing political messaging with viral internet trends.
Woman blocking police van defining moment
As the CJP protest over examination irregularities raged in Delhi, youngsters took to the streets of the financial capital on Wednesday in support, condemning the alleged police brutality against agitators during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march.
In the widely shared video of the demonstration, the woman is seen stopping a police vehicle carrying detained protesters, while fellow demonstrators shouted slogans that brought traffic to a grinding halt on the busy road.
SC advocates recite Constitution’s Preamble
Advocates at the Supreme Court on Thursday recited the Constitution’s Preamble as part of their “Save Democracy, Save Constitution” campaign in support of the Jantar Mantar protest and opposing the police action on protestors.
Senior advocates Indira Jaising and S Muralidhar led the recitation by the lawyers during the apex court’s lunch recess.
President of the Supreme Court Bar Association and senior advocate Vikas Singh was also present there. Jaising said, “We are here to stand with the students. We are here to stand on the side of justice. We are here to demand justice for the students. This is not about us.” (PTI)
