The hallowed ground of the nation's civil disobedience movement, August Kranti Maidan reverberated with chants of "Azadi" once again on Thursday. Except this time around, the crowds had been brought together by endless, fervent calls on social media for protesting a law that has united the nation against its purported divisiveness.

"I don't personally know any of the people who have suffered in Assam, Kashmir, or the protesting students who were lathi-charged at Jamia Millia Islamia. But I've seen their pictures on Twitter, and watched videos about their plight. Now I feel this strong sense of solidarity with them," said Pranjali Dubey, 23, a YouTube sketch writer.