Delhi Police blocked more than 480 Pakistan-based social media handles for allegedly spreading misinformation about CJP student protests on Thursday [1].

The move highlights the increasing role of coordinated foreign influence campaigns in domestic civil unrest and the challenge of policing digital narratives during active protests.

Police identified the accounts as part of a coordinated effort to disrupt public order by sharing edited videos and misleading narratives. Officials said the goal was to prevent the spread of fake content that could provoke unrest or unfairly influence public opinion during the demonstrations at Jantar Mantar [1, 2].

"We have identified and blocked 480 Pakistan-based social media handles that were involved in coordinated misinformation campaigns amid the CJP protest," a Delhi Police spokesperson said [1].

Beyond the digital crackdown, authorities also took physical action against protesters. Police detained 25 students while they were on their way to the Jantar Mantar protest site [3].

Despite the detentions and the blocking of foreign accounts, officials said that the right to protest remains protected. A Delhi Police spokesperson said that students are urged to verify information before sharing any posts, and that peaceful demonstrations remain a democratic right [3].

The operation focused on removing content designed to incite volatility among the student population. This digital intervention coincided with the physical security measures implemented around the protest zone to maintain order in the capital.

“"We have identified and blocked 480 Pakistan-based social media handles"”

The intersection of foreign digital interference and domestic student activism creates a complex security environment for the Delhi Police. By attributing misinformation to foreign actors, the state frames the unrest not merely as a local grievance but as a target of external manipulation, which may justify more aggressive surveillance and censorship of social media platforms during periods of civil volatility.