<p class="title">Social media users enlisted themselves as "urban naxals" in a show of solidarity with the arrested Left-wing activists as 'MeTooUrbanNaxal' hashtag trended on microblogging site, Twitter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It all started when filmmaker and author Vivek Agnihotri asked some "bright young minds" to put together a list of those defending 'Urban Naxals'.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I want some bright young people to make a list of all those who are defending #UrbanNaxals. Let’s see where it leads. If you want to volunteer with commitment, please DM me," he tweeted last night.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Social media users - journalists, activists, professionals, students - people from all walks of life - lashed out at the filmmaker.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They countered that the term 'Urban Naxal' was a mere creation of some sections to malign those who have an anti-establishment stance. Others accused Agnihotri of openly inciting hate.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As a mark of protest, thousands enlisted themselves as 'urban naxals', tweeting and retweeting the hashtag since this morning.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prateek Sinha, the co-founder of Alt News, asked the Twitterati to tag the filmmaker with the hashtag #MeTooUrbanNaxal to help the latter build his list.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"You know how the term 'anti-national' doesn't stick anymore. It was because all of us of a certain ideological bent started jokingly referring to ourselves as anti-nationals in many of our conversations and reduced it into a joke. It was no longer derogatory, it was a joke. So they needed a new phrase and which is what is 'Urban Naxals'.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We cannot let these Hitler's grandchildren and great grandchildren target specific people with that phrase. So let's reduce it to a joke. Let's all proclaim that we are all 'Urban Naxals'. #MeTooUrbanNaxal, what about you?” he tweeted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Actress Swara Bhaskar gave a big thumbs up to the move and said that the trending of the hashtag was "a tight slap. Kudos to #TwitterWarriors".</p>.<p class="bodytext">“If asking the questions, or standing up for humanity and freedom of speech makes me an urban Naxal... then I’m proud to be one #MeTooUrbanNaxal," tweeted Archana Bhardwaj.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Journalist Nikhil Wagle tweeted, "If @Sudhabharadwaj is a naxal, I am a naxal too. Arrest me. #MetooUrbanNaxal".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Another user, Vidyut, even changed his username to Urban Naxal Vidyut.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Congratulations, BJP on the most successful recruitment drive for naxals in the history of urban India #MeTooUrbanNaxal," he tweeted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The hashtag has so far garnered more than 55,000 tweets.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Maharashtra Police yesterday arrested Left-wing activists Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha, and conducted raids in the houses of several others as part of a probe into the 'Elgar Parishad' event held in Pune on December 31 last year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The event had allegedly triggered violence between Dalits and upper caste groups at Koregaon Bhima village in the district.</p>
<p class="title">Social media users enlisted themselves as "urban naxals" in a show of solidarity with the arrested Left-wing activists as 'MeTooUrbanNaxal' hashtag trended on microblogging site, Twitter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It all started when filmmaker and author Vivek Agnihotri asked some "bright young minds" to put together a list of those defending 'Urban Naxals'.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I want some bright young people to make a list of all those who are defending #UrbanNaxals. Let’s see where it leads. If you want to volunteer with commitment, please DM me," he tweeted last night.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Social media users - journalists, activists, professionals, students - people from all walks of life - lashed out at the filmmaker.</p>.<p class="bodytext">They countered that the term 'Urban Naxal' was a mere creation of some sections to malign those who have an anti-establishment stance. Others accused Agnihotri of openly inciting hate.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As a mark of protest, thousands enlisted themselves as 'urban naxals', tweeting and retweeting the hashtag since this morning.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prateek Sinha, the co-founder of Alt News, asked the Twitterati to tag the filmmaker with the hashtag #MeTooUrbanNaxal to help the latter build his list.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"You know how the term 'anti-national' doesn't stick anymore. It was because all of us of a certain ideological bent started jokingly referring to ourselves as anti-nationals in many of our conversations and reduced it into a joke. It was no longer derogatory, it was a joke. So they needed a new phrase and which is what is 'Urban Naxals'.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We cannot let these Hitler's grandchildren and great grandchildren target specific people with that phrase. So let's reduce it to a joke. Let's all proclaim that we are all 'Urban Naxals'. #MeTooUrbanNaxal, what about you?” he tweeted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Actress Swara Bhaskar gave a big thumbs up to the move and said that the trending of the hashtag was "a tight slap. Kudos to #TwitterWarriors".</p>.<p class="bodytext">“If asking the questions, or standing up for humanity and freedom of speech makes me an urban Naxal... then I’m proud to be one #MeTooUrbanNaxal," tweeted Archana Bhardwaj.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Journalist Nikhil Wagle tweeted, "If @Sudhabharadwaj is a naxal, I am a naxal too. Arrest me. #MetooUrbanNaxal".</p>.<p class="bodytext">Another user, Vidyut, even changed his username to Urban Naxal Vidyut.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Congratulations, BJP on the most successful recruitment drive for naxals in the history of urban India #MeTooUrbanNaxal," he tweeted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The hashtag has so far garnered more than 55,000 tweets.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Maharashtra Police yesterday arrested Left-wing activists Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha, and conducted raids in the houses of several others as part of a probe into the 'Elgar Parishad' event held in Pune on December 31 last year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The event had allegedly triggered violence between Dalits and upper caste groups at Koregaon Bhima village in the district.</p>