New Delhi: Standing atop police barricades, placards raised above their heads, protesters in New Delhi had a message for Elon Musk on Friday: keep Starlink out of India.
The march, organised by the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), began at Teen Murti Chowk and proceeded toward the Chanakyapuri Police Station, where police barricades brought the demonstration to a halt. “Starlink down down”, “Elon Musk hosh mein aao”, and “Elon Musk Bharat chhodo” rang out as protesters called on the government to block the billionaire’s satellite internet service from entering the Indian market.
For the demonstrators, the issue was about more than another foreign company competing with Indian telecom operators. They argued that Starlink’s satellite-based internet network could pose risks to national security and undermine digital sovereignty.
Rajesh Chorangi, a restaurant owner associated with the SJM, had a propaganda problem. He raised concerns about messages originating in China and Pakistan reaching Indian users through the satellite network, arguing that this could open the door to propaganda.
“Today we don’t get messages from China and Pakistan on our phones, if Starlink comes, these messages will start, propaganda will start. Our network should be safe and in the hands of our government,” he said.
He added that India should prioritise domestic telecom companies instead of allowing Musk to gain a foothold in the country’s internet market.
“Elon Musk is acting bigger than the Indian government. And in regards to the Starlink network, we already have our Indian companies that are giving network, and they should be given priority,” he said.
Chorangi linked his opposition to Starlink to broader tensions in India-US trade relations, arguing that American tariff policies had hurt Indian businesses.
“If we give them our internet market also, imagine what they will do,” he said.
He is also against Musk taking Starlink profits back to the US.
“If Reliance, for instance, profits, the money goes back into India, but with Musk, he will take the money to the US,” he said.
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‘Arrogant attitude of Musk’
Kamna Sharma, the head of SJM’s women’s wing who works in panel manufacturing, said the protest was also about protecting domestic products and businesses from foreign competition.
“We want that our swadeshi things should be used in India. And they will conquer our swadeshi things. We don’t want that to happen. We want Indian products to benefit,” she said.
The SJM has questioned whether the network could make it harder for Indian authorities to enforce geographically targeted internet restrictions and carry out “lawful interception” of communications. According to a report by the global digital rights advocacy group Access Now, India imposed 65 internet shutdowns in 2025.
It has also argued that the government must retain control over critical digital infrastructure, rather than depend on a foreign company.
The protest comes amid a public spat between Musk and Indian business interests over Starlink’s entry into the country.
“Dear Prime Minister Ambani, Please accept my humble apologies for not realizing that you are the real boss of India,” Musk wrote on X.
Musk has accused Indian business groups of trying to stall the service to protect their market dominance, while the company’s commercial launch remains subject to regulatory requirements, including security assessments and spectrum allocation.
Rakesh Khanna, a chartered accountant associated with the BJP, said the protest was not necessarily against foreign companies operating in India, but against what he described as Musk’s attitude and the potential security implications of Starlink’s technology.
“We are here to protest against Starlink’s arrogant Elon Musk. We don’t have any problem with Starlink as such because the government has already done a global trade agreement with them. We are part of WTO, so we can’t reject any organisation,” he said.
Khanna argued that Starlink’s satellite network raised questions about control over communications infrastructure and radio frequencies. He also cited the Russia-Ukraine conflict, alleging that the company’s decisions had caused difficulties for Ukraine.
“The history of this company has been very poor. During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, they did not listen to Ukraine, because of which the country got into a lot of trouble. This same issue has been with South Africa and Namibia. And seeing this, we need to take very good care of our security,” he said.
The SJM has argued that the government must ensure Starlink can restrict services in specific areas when directed to do so, particularly during law-and-order emergencies. These are concerns raised by the organisation, rather than established findings about Starlink’s operations in India.
Khanna also linked the demonstration to Musk’s public remarks about India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting that the billionaire’s comments had added to the anger against him.
“Just because Elon Musk is an arrogant man, the richest man in the world, he thinks that everything should be done according to him,” he said.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)