While the case of Malini Murmu shows that social media is a powerful tool to gather opinions, another case in the past one year has gone on to show that social media initiatives do not necessarily remain online; these can take a very human face and project a physical presence that demands action. Richard Loitam’s name became well known nationwide earlier this year when the Manipuri student was assaulted by his hostel mates which allegedly led to his death.
Social media was responsible for taking the story of Loitam from Bangalore to the whole world.
With 2,03,259 members on the page, the movement gathered so much momentum that there were physical protests on the street which forced the government machinery to sit up and take notice. Finally, after close to a month of protests ranging from New Delhi to Mumbai and Manipur besides Bangalore, the police finally started proper investigations. The campaign also served to bring out efforts by the college involved to hush up the matter by claiming that Loitam was a drug abuser. Such statements given by the college authorities and also the initial police claim of death by accident were quickly rubbished and ridiculed by the social media which stayed firm in its demand for a thorough probe into the matter.
“What the use of social media did was build an opinion. By taking Richard’s case to the world, we brought so much pressure on the inefficient rural police that brushing the case under the carpet became impossible. They finally had to admit that it might have been a murder. The college authorities had to take back their statements which were aimed at hushing up the incident and now there is an investigation going on which is being closely monitored by various online groups,” said one of the participants of ‘Justice for Loitam’ protest that was organised in the city in April.