CPI(M) leader M.A. Baby proposes 'digital satyagraha' in solidarity with Gaza
Urges people to switch off phones, laptops daily for 30 minutes as symbolic protest
New Delhi: Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary M.A. Baby has called for a week-long ‘digital satyagraha’ as a symbolic protest against the ongoing war in Gaza. Beginning Saturday, Baby has urged citizens to switch off all digital devices, including mobile phones and computers, every night from 9 pm to 9:30 pm.
Describing the act as a modern adaptation of traditional Gandhian protest, the senior CPI(M) leader appealed for “30 minutes of digital silence” to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, who continue to suffer amid war and starvation. The digital satyagraha, he said, aims to register dissent against what he termed “a genocide being carried out by Israel in occupied Gaza.”
M.A. Baby’s announcement comes in the wake of a report by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, which listed 48 major technology companies including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM, as entities allegedly profiting from the Gaza conflict. The report is said to have identified over 1,000 corporate actors linked to the war economy.
“In this context, this digital fast is all the more relevant,” Baby posted on social media platform X. He added that refraining from messages, social media, and comments, even briefly, could be a powerful tool of resistance.
A veteran Marxist leader and former Education and Culture Minister of Kerala, Baby has served in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Seen as a close aide and successor to CPI(M) senior leader Sitaram Yechury, Baby’s latest initiative combines ideological consistency with contemporary tools of protest.
The digital satyagraha also aligns with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which targets corporations allegedly complicit in the Israeli occupation. The CPI(M) leader’s call joins a rising wave of international appeals for a ceasefire in Gaza and greater corporate accountability.
This protest comes at a time when humanitarian aid to Gaza remains blocked, with international agencies repeatedly warning of a deepening crisis in the besieged territory.
Earlier this week, the Maldives government also made headlines by announcing a ban on Israeli passport holders entering the country, calling it an act of “resolute solidarity” with Palestinians.
A digital satyagraha for #Gaza
— M A Baby (@MABABYCPIM) July 5, 2025
A strong statement must be made that we ordinary citizens, too, can do something against the genocide being carried out by Israel in occupied Gaza.
From 9 pm tonight, for one week, every day from 9 to 9:30, we request all those who believe in…
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Techie-turned-Panipuri seller held in dowry death case in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): A man who quit his software job to sell panipuri was arrested for allegedly driving his 27-year-old wife to suicide at their residence in Suddaguntepalya, police said.
According to police, the woman, identified as Shilpa Panchangamath, was found dead on Tuesday night. Her mother, Sharada, lodged a complaint alleging harassment for dowry.
Shilpa married Praveen, son of late Shambulingaiah of Vaddarahatti village in Gangavati taluk, on December 5, 2022. The family claimed they spent around Rs 35 lakh on the wedding and gave 150 grams of gold to the groom.
After marriage, the couple lived in BTM Layout. Praveen, earlier employed with Oracle in Whitefield, had left his job and started a panipuri business. The couple has a son.
The complaint alleged that Praveen and his mother, Shantavva, harassed Shilpa mentally and physically for money, demanding Rs 5 lakh for his business. When the demand was not met, she was allegedly assaulted and sent back to her parents.
Sharada said she eventually raised the money and sent her daughter back, but the harassment continued. Four months ago, a quarrel reportedly broke out during discussions about Shilpa’s baby shower.
On August 26, the family was informed that Shilpa had died by suicide. When they reached her house, they found her lifeless on the bed, covered with a sheet.
Based on the complaint, police arrested Praveen on Thursday. Further investigation is underway.
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