AlvaJustice117 at 19:20, 27 April 2026

2026-04-27T19:20:32Z

New page

{{Short description|Department of the Bharatiya Janata Party}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name =
| native_name =
| native_name_a =
| native_name_r =
| type = Information Technology Cell
| seal =
| seal_size =
| seal_caption =
| seal_alt =
| logo =
| logo_size =
| logo_caption =
| logo_alt =
| image =
| image_size =
| image_caption =
| image_alt =
| formed = 
| preceding1 =
| preceding2 = 
| dissolved =
| superseding1 =
| superseding2 = 
| agency_type = Information Technology Cell
| jurisdiction = [[India]]
| status =
| headquarters =
| coordinates = 
| motto =
| employees = 5000/5500{{endash}}6000 approximately
| budget =
| minister_type = National IT Cell Head
| minister1_name = [[Amit Malviya]]
| minister1_pfo = National Convener
| minister2_name =
| minister2_pfo = 
| deputyminister_type = State IT Cell Head
| deputyminister1_name = All States BJP Conveners
| deputyminister1_pfo =
| deputyminister2_name =
| deputyminister2_pfo = 
| chief1_name =
| chief1_position =
| chief2_name =
| chief2_position = 
| parent_department =
| parent_agency = [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
| parent_agency_type = of the Information Technology Cell
| child1_agency = All States Bharatiya Janata Party Information Technology Cell
| child2_agency = All Union Territories Bharatiya Janata Party Information Technology Cell
| keydocument1 = 
| website = 
| agency_id =
| map =
| map_size =
| map_caption =
| map_alt =
| footnotes =
| embed =
}}
{{Bharatiya Janata Party sidebar}}
The '''Bharatiya Janata Party Information Technology Cell''' is a specialized department of the Indian political party [[Bharatiya Janata Party]], responsible for managing the party's digital and social media outreach. The cell has been alleged of spreading misinformation,<ref> {{Cite news |last=Rajvanshi |first=Astha |title=How Modi's Supporters Spread Disinformation on Social Media |url=https://time.com/6984947/india-election-disinformation-modi/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250611233904/https://time.com/6984947/india-election-disinformation-modi/ |archive-date=2025-06-11 |access-date=2025-10-21 |work=TIME |language=en}} </ref> causing mob lynchings<ref> {{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2025-05-01 |title=Three cases booked for circulation of false information related to mob lynching |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/three-cases-booked-for-circulation-of-false-information-related-to-mob-lynching/article69522305.ece |access-date=2025-10-21 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}} </ref> and popularising stereotypical narratives against Muslims.<ref> {{Cite web |date=2024-04-28 |title='Invisible in our own country': Being Muslim in Modi's India |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68498675 |access-date=2025-10-21 |website=BBC News |language=en-gb}} </ref> It also coordinates online campaigns, promotes party narratives, and amplifies the voices of its leaders and members across various platforms.<ref name="UP IT cell">{{cite news |title=BJP turns focus on UP IT cell, lays out strategy to boost social media presence for polls |url=https://theprint.in/politics/bjp-turns-focus-on-up-it-cell-lays-out-strategy-to-boost-social-media-presence-for-polls/753763/ |access-date=6 January 2022 |work=ThePrint |date=21 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="10 Dec 21">{{cite news |title=BJP's IT cell works behind doors for its candidates who are on the front |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/bjps-it-cell-works-behind-doors-for-its-candidates-who-are-on-the-front-7665071/ |access-date=6 January 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=10 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=BJP Departments |url=https://www.bjp.org/departments |access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref><ref name="secret world">{{cite news |title=I am a troll: Inside the secret world of the BJP's digital army- Review |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/book-reviews/i-am-a-troll-inside-the-secret-world-of-the-bjps-digital-army-by-swati-chaturvedi |access-date=10 October 2022 |work=Free Press Journal |language=en}}</ref>

Since 2015, the cell has been headed by [[Amit Malviya]], who plays a key role in shaping the party's digital strategy and online narratives.<ref name="Malviya Manipulated Media">{{cite news |date=2 December 2020 |title=For the First Time in India, Twitter Flags BJP IT Cell's 'Manipulated Media' |work=The Wire |url=https://thewire.in/politics/twitter-amit-malviya-bjp-it-cell-manipulation |access-date=10 October 2022}}</ref> According to a report by ''[[The Washington Post]]'', the BJP IT Cell operates an extensive digital network comprising around 150,000 social media workers who disseminate content across numerous [[WhatsApp University|WhatsApp groups]], often targeting the fears and sentiments of [[Hinduism in India|India's Hindu majority]].<ref name=":2">{{cite news |title=Inside the vast digital campaign by Hindu nationalists to inflame India |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/26/hindu-nationalist-social-media-hate-campaign/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=27 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
The [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) was the first political party in India to acknowledge and use the power of [[social media]] in mobilising public opinion,<ref name=":1" /> although the rivalling [[Indian National Congress]] party also operates an IT Cell. The BJP IT Cell was founded in 2007 by [[Prodyut Bora]].<ref>Campbell-Smith, Ualan, and Samantha Bradshaw. "[https://demtech.oii.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/05/India-Profile.pdf Global cyber troops country profile: India.]" ''Project on Computational Propaganda'' (2019).

APA</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-06-25 |title='It's Like Frankenstein's Monster': The Father Of BJP's IT Cell Says Team Modi Started The Rot |url=https://www.huffpost.com/archive/in/entry/its-like-frankensteins-monster-the-father-of-the-bjps-it-cell-says-team-modi-started-the-rot_in_5c10c957e4b09dcd67fc57bb |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref>

During the campaign for the [[2004 Indian general election]], the BJP had already promoted the [[India Shining]] slogan and used around 5% of its campaign budget on texts and pre-recorded phone calls to reach voters. For the [[2009 Indian general election]], BJP candidate [[L. K. Advani]] launched a personal website including its own forum and established local IT Cells.<ref name=":1">Chadha K, Guha P. [https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/4947/1774 The Bharatiya Janata Party's online campaign and citizen involvement in India's 2014 election]. International Journal of Communication. 2016 Aug 30;10:18.</ref>

The [[Twitter]] (now X) account for BJP leader [[Narendra Modi]] (then [[List of chief ministers of Gujarat|Chief Minister of Gujarat]]) was created in 2009. In contrast, the [[Indian National Congress]] leader [[Rahul Gandhi]] waited until 2015 to come to that platform.

In 2010, Arvind Gupta was appointed convenor of the IT Cell.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-07-12 |title=Arvind Gupta appointed as convenor of BJP's IT cell |url=https://www.governancenow.com/gov-next/egov/arvind-gupta-appointed-convenor-bjps-it-cell |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Governance Now |language=en}}</ref> In 2014, Amit Malviya became head of the IT Cell.<ref>{{Citation |title=China and India |date=2023 |work=Political Technology: The Globalisation of Political Manipulation |pages=365–402 |editor-last=Wilson |editor-first=Andrew |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/political-technology/china-and-india/64EE8FE42C88723B5EA85F90523C9E34 |access-date=2025-05-18 |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-009-35533-9}}</ref>

The landslide win of the BJP in the [[2014 Indian general election]] was credited for a large part to the activities of the IT Cell. Between December 2012 and February 2014, the BJP primarily campaigned on social media. According to former IT Cell head Arvind Gupta, the IT Cell was involved in "setting the narrative, changing the tone, and reacting to social media posts."<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 17, 2014 |title=How India's BJP used data analytics to swing voters |url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1312443/indias-bjp-used-data-analytics-swing-voters |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=www.prweek.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='Big data is like teenage sex': BJP's Arvind Gupta {{!}} Advertising |url=https://www.campaignindia.in/article/big-data-is-like-teenage-sex-bjps-arvind-gupta/421453 |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Campaign India}}</ref>

== Methods ==
The BJP orchestrates online campaigns through its social media cell to intimidate perceived government critics. The network of volunteers of BJP take instructions from the BJP IT Cell and two affiliated organisations to [[Troll (slang)|troll]] users who are critical of the BJP. Journalists and Indian film actors are also among their targets.<ref name="FT 2017">{{cite news |title='I Am a Troll' by Swati Chaturvedi |url=https://www.ft.com/content/6dd90462-e3bd-11e6-8405-9e5580d6e5fb |access-date=10 October 2022 |work=Financial Times |date=20 February 2017}}</ref>

In November 2015 [[Aamir Khan]], an [[Muslims in India|Indian Muslim]] actor, expressed concern about [[Aamir Khan#Comments on intolerance (2013–2016)|rising intolerance in India]]<ref>{{cite web|title = The Intolerant Response to Aamir Khan's Intolerance Comments|url = https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/11/24/the-intolerant-response-to-aamir-khans-intolerance-comments/|website = WSJ Blogs|access-date = 25 November 2015|first = Joanna|last = Sugden|date = 24 November 2015}}</ref> in response to political events in India that included [[Cow vigilante violence in India|violent attacks]] against [[Muslim]]s and [[intellectual]]s, and the absence of swift or strong condemnation from the country's ruling BJP government.<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine|title = Bollywood Star Aamir Khan Faces Religious Backlash|url = https://time.com/4126743/aamir-khan-intolerance-backlash-snapdeal-india/|magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date = 25 November 2015|first = Rishi|last = Iyengar}}</ref> Khosla said that BJP responded with an online campaign through its social media cell to intimidate Khan.<ref name="FT 2017" /> Khan at the time was a spokesperson for [[Snapdeal]]. Modi supporters bombarded the company with orders and later cancelled them, resulting in the company distancing itself from Khan, though a planned boycott of his film at the time, ''[[Dangal (2016 film)|Dangal]]'', by BJP supporters proved unsuccessful.<ref name="qz">{{cite web|title = Aamir Khan took on religious intolerance, and Snapdeal got caught in the crossfire|url = http://qz.com/558447/bollywood-actor-aamir-khan-took-on-religious-intolerance-and-snapdeal-got-caught-in-the-crossfire/|website = Quartz|date = 25 November 2015|access-date = 25 November 2015|language = en-US|archive-date = 25 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151125165013/http://qz.com/558447/bollywood-actor-aamir-khan-took-on-religious-intolerance-and-snapdeal-got-caught-in-the-crossfire/|url-status = dead}}</ref>

In 2017, the [[Criminal Investigation Department (India)|Criminal Investigation Department]] of [[West Bengal]] arrested the local BJP IT Cell secretary for 'inciting communal tensions' using a manipulated video on Facebook.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Religion, extremism and violence in South Asia |date=2022 |publisher=Springer Singapore Pte. Limited |isbn=978-981-16-6846-3 |editor-last=Ahmed |editor-first=Imran |series=Politics of South Asia |location=Singapore |editor-last2=Ahmed |editor-first2=Zahid Shahab |editor-last3=Brasted |editor-first3=Howard |editor-last4=Akbarzadeh |editor-first4=Shahram}}</ref>

[[Derek O'Brien (politician)|Derek O'Brien]], a member of Parliament had raised the topic of online hate in the [[Rajya Sabha]], India's upper house. He had questioned why Narendra Modi followed cyber-bullies on social media, and said "We are mainstreaming hate". He also asked if the [[First Modi ministry|Modi administration]] would issue an advisory asking government officials to stop following Twitter users that regularly send abusive messages and obscenities. The government did not respond to this request.<ref name="FT 2017" />

In December 2020, Twitter took restrictive action against [[Amit Malviya]], IT Cell in charge, and tagged his posts as 'manipulated media'. This was the first time Twitter took restrictive action against an Indian political personality. Malviya had posted an edited video of an incident from [[2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest]] that violated Twitter policy towards fighting the spread of doctored media.<ref name="Malviya Manipulated Media" />

According to the [[Washington Post]], 150,000 social media workers spread posts aimed at exploiting the fears of India's Hindu majority across a vast network of [[WhatsApp]] groups.<ref name=":2" />

An investigation by an Indian media watchdog, ''Newslaundry'', revealed the organisational structure of the IT Cell:<blockquote>The state IT cell has 25 members in the core team with Rai as its head.
Each regional centre had 20 members and a team of 15 handled IT at each of the 92 districts. Seven member teams worked at the block levels. At the regional, district and Assembly level, BJP had approximately 5,000 workers. A separate team of 20 professionals – including technicians, designers, and cartoonists – created the desired content for the party. </blockquote>
JPS Rathore, a member of the UP-BJP's IT Cell described the motives of the organisation as follows:<blockquote>
"Our aim was to capture the mind of the voter. To message them night and day. Whenever they look, they should see us, hear our message. (Humari rajniti thi ki chunav ke pehle voter ke dimag ko capture kar lo. Subeh–shaam message bhejo. Jab dekhe, humara chehra dekhe, humari baat sune)"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bhardwaj |first=Amit |date=March 17, 2017 |title=How BJP's IT Cell Waged War And Won In UP: With enormous stores of data and thousands of WhatsApp groups, the BJP cell waged a smartphone war in UP. |url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/03/17/how-bjps-it-cell-waged-war-and-won-in-up |website=Newslaundry}}</ref> </blockquote>''[[The Indian Express]]'' reported that Amit Malviya, the head of the IT Cell, admitted that the NaMo TV channel was run by the IT Cell.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-11 |title=BJP owns up NaMo TV, Delhi poll officer says content is not 'advertisement' |url=https://indianexpress.com/elections/bjp-owns-up-namo-tv-delhi-poll-officer-says-content-is-not-advertisement-lok-sabha-polls-5669552/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

Another 2021 article by [[Newslaundry]] describes the "Hindu Ecosystem" (as described by Kapil Mishra whose group was infiltrated by ''Newslaundry'' journalists) and its methodology. Mishra tweeted a [[Google Forms|Google forms]] link (which is still active and can be accessed from the original article) asking for details such as the name, mobile number and email-ID of the respondents, calling them to join the Hindu Ecosystem. It also asked the respondents for 'Any Special area of interest (sic)' such as '[[Cow vigilante violence in India|Gauraksha]], Gauseva, Fight [[Love jihad conspiracy theory|Love Jihad]], [[Ghar Wapsi|Ghar Wapasi]], [[Halal]], Mandir Nirmal, [[Hindu nationalism|Hindu Ekta]], Sewa in general etc (sic).'<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Thakur |last2=S |first1=Shambhavi |first2=Meghnad |date=15 February 2021 |title="Hate factory: Inside Kapil Mishra's 'Hindu Ecosystem'" |url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/02/15/we-infiltrated-the-telegram-groups-of-the-bjp-leaders-online-network-to-see-what-they-do |access-date=29 February 2024 |work=Newslaundry}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Further reading===
* {{cite book |last1=Chaturvedi |first1=Swati |title=I am a troll: inside the secret world of the BJP's digital army |date=2016 |publisher=Juggernaut |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-93-86228-09-3 |page=192 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/1134667867 |access-date=10 October 2022}}
* {{cite news |title='I Am a Troll' by Swati Chaturvedi |url=https://www.ft.com/content/6dd90462-e3bd-11e6-8405-9e5580d6e5fb |access-date=10 October 2022 |work=Financial Times |date=20 February 2017}}

[[Category:Anti-Christian sentiment in India]]
[[Category:Anti-Islam sentiment in India]]
[[Category:Authoritarianism]]
[[Category:Bharatiya Janata Party wings]]
[[Category:Controversies in India]]
[[Category:Disinformation in India]]
[[Category:Fake news]]
[[Category:Fake news in India]]
[[Category:Islamophobia in India]]
[[Category:Internet trolls]]
[[Category:Mass media and entertainment controversies]]
[[Category:Mass media issues]]
[[Category:Mass media-related controversies in India]]
[[Category:Media bias controversies]]
[[Category:Political controversies in India]]
[[Category:Political controversies in television]]

BJP IT Cell - Revision history

AlvaJustice117 at 19:20, 27 April 2026