Social Media Rescued Us: Dalit Activists on Mobilising Movements

Social media commandos tells The Quint what encouraged lakhs of Dalits to protest even before the news broke.

Ambedkar’s Social Media Commandos 

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj & Sandeep Suman

Whether it is the Dalits taking to the streets on 2 April to protest the dilution of the SC/ST Atrocities Act or the Bhima Koregaon protests, social media campaigns have helped spread the word on pressing issues time and again.

Scores of people, at one with Ambedkar’s ideology, have become a part of social media campaigns.

Such people can be classified into three different categories.

1. Those who decide which issue on social media best concerns the community.

2. Those who simplify issues using easy language.

3. Those who spread the word on social media and mobilise movements.

The social media commandos behind the success of Dalit campaigns spoke to The Quint, explaining what encouraged lakhs of Dalits to get together to protest, even before the news on the SC/ST Atrocities Act saw the light of the day.

Who Helps Strengthen Social Media Campaigns?

Senior Journalist and Dalit Ideologue Dilip C Mandal explains, “From Rohith Vemula and Delta Meghwal to Delhi university seat reservations, I did not create any of these issues out of thin air. It is just my job to identify newsworthy events and pass on the information using my discretion.”

Spelling out the working of social media campaigns, BHU Professor and Dalit Ideologue, MP Ahirwar, quotes the example of Bharat Bandh on 2 April.

Once the announcement of Bharat Bandh on 2 April was made, we immediately put out explainers on the benefits of the Act .

MP Ahirwar, BHU Professor 

Resident of Noida and Dalit Activist, Sumit Chauhan, cites the example of a campaign led by him.

Just a few days back in Ahmedabad, a Dalit man was thrashed for sporting a moustache. That news did not gain momentum on mainstream media. We started a social media campaign using the #DalitWithMoustache. I was the first one to use the hashtag on Facebook.

Sumit Chauhan

Where are the Women in the Campaign?

Payal Gaikwad, Supreme Court lawyer and Dalit activist, talks about the role of women in the social media campaigns.

She says, “The ones who are writing on social media sites have an extended group working on the ground. In Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, you would find several women who are not just active on social media but are working at the grassroots level as well.”

Social media has been instrumental in mobilising many movements. From Arab Spring to the Dalit protests, the magnitude of its networking power has only increased with time.