New Delhi—As thousands of farmers carry on with their fight against contentious farm bills undeterred, a section of youth, all in their 20s, are using social media as the weapon to amplify their voice but more so, to counter misinformation. Since the farmers of Punjab, who form large part of the agitating community, started with the clarion call of Dilli Chalo, their movement is being discredited as “radicalized” and “politically motivated”. Using their social media handles, these youngsters are dispelling myths and also urging people to fact-check before believing the information they are consuming. They are also utilising the platform to facilitate supplies at the different venues where the farmers are camping.
20-something Amrit Kaur who has been part of the protest since it started in October, routinely puts stories about the plight of the farmers, their undying zeal, using them as response to trolls and communal hashtags. She also goes live on social media regularly to talk about what she’s experienced being with the farmers from the beginning—all as an attempt to sustain the legitimacy of the agitation.
“A lot of hate was being thrown at us through posts that were doctored. We have been labeled as anti-nationals. I couldn’t bear to see the selfless efforts of our elderly being sullied like this. I realised that if social media can be used to defame our movement, we can use it to counter this narrative,” says Mann who is also a national level basketball player. The young girl keeps an eye out for manipulated posts including pictures, tweets, and accounts that are specifically targeting Punjab farmers, and reports them.
Hardik Kaushal is banking on the reverence of Sikh Gurus and Bhagat Singh to fight misinformation. His page on Instagram, Letters of Revolution has excerpts from writings of the famous Freedom Fighter as voice of the real jazba that is propelling this movement. It also has poignant photos of elderly farmers marching on fearlessly, Sikhs feeding langar to cops, poems glorifying the hardships of farmers and Punjab’s contribution to the country.
His Insta stories also update on the latest news from the front to curtail spread of rumours and misinformation. “There are a lot of mischievous elements on social media who are slandering the demonstration. Instead of directly confronting the trolls, we are wielding the goodwill of Guru Nanak and Bhagat Singh in our posts. I feel it is important to push this struggle as one based on truth, love and purity. Who else but only a Sikh will feed the same hand that hit him a few hours ago,” smiles the 23-year-old.
Rajveer Kaur of The Project Punjab, meanwhile, is holding constructive dialogues with people from all across—sportspersons, youth activists, journalists to take forward the truth of the movement. She has been creating awareness on why the farmers are opposed to the bills, on-ground situation and how to prevent misinformation. “A lot of things are happening on the ground which mainstream either won’t report or will show it with their own slant. Apart from this, campaigns are also being run against us on social media. I am trying to set the record straight through my page. It is very important to contain spread of hate and inaccurate information before it does lasting damage to our farmers’ cause,” she says.
Meanwhile, Amritsar-based Subheg Singh along with facilitating supplies to farmers pitched on the outskirts of Delhi, shares latest news, videos from the spot and also interacts with followers to remain united. From mattresses to blankets to sanitary pads for young students who have come to support the farmers, Singh’s The Punjab Club on Instagram is the go-to place when supply issues need to be addressed. “Youth needs to be told not to get misled or get carried away by emotions. Through Punjab Club, we are also ensuring no one misleads the campaign for their personal ambitions,” he shares.
