Being Cyberbullied or Harassed Online? Here's What You Can Actually Do
"It's just online" isn't a legal defence — online harassment is covered by real, chargeable offences.
Persistent unwanted contact, monitoring, or harassment online is covered by BNS Section 78 (stalking, which explicitly includes monitoring someone's internet or electronic communication use) and Section 351 (criminal intimidation, if it involves a genuine threat). Defamatory content about you can fall under BNS Section 356.
Start by preserving evidence — screenshots with visible timestamps/usernames, saved messages, URLs — before you report or block anything, since platforms and police both need this. Report to the platform itself (most have a dedicated harassment/abuse reporting flow) and, separately, file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in or your nearest police station / cyber cell.
If it involves a minor, or explicit/intimate content, escalate immediately — these situations have additional, stronger legal protections and faster response expectations from platforms and police.
Stalking — explicitly covers monitoring someone's internet/electronic communication use without consent
Defamation — covers harmful, false public claims made about you online
Still wondering about...
Do I need to know who's behind an anonymous account to file a complaint?
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