What can I do about cyberstalking or online harassment?

Cyberstalking and online harassment are serious criminal offences in India, with specific protections, particularly for women. You can report the harasser to the police and the cyber crime portal, and the law provides for both punishment and protective measures.

Key points

• Repeatedly following, contacting, or monitoring someone online against their wishes is cyberstalking.
• The law provides specific protection against stalking, especially for women.
• Creating fake accounts to harass can add offences like identity theft and impersonation.
• Preserve all evidence — messages, profiles, screenshots, and timelines.
• You can seek both criminal action and platform-level removal of accounts.

Relevant law

Stalking (including online) is an offence under Section 78 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Harassment and obscene communication may attract the Information Technology Act, 2000 (Sections 66, 66E, 67). Impersonation through fake accounts is covered under Section 66D of the IT Act.

What you can do

• Preserve all evidence and avoid engaging with the harasser.
• File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930.
• Register an FIR at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Howrah.
• Consult a cyber law advocate in Howrah for protective and criminal action.