Aravalli row: Influencers approached by agencies to create pro-govt content, ‘threatened’ on refusal – Alt News

Amid the controversy over the Supreme Court first accepting the Union government’s 100-metre elevation formula for a uniform definition of the Aravalli Hills and then staying its earlier decision, multiple social media influencers have come forward reporting that they had been approached by marketing agencies for paid collaborations to create content that favoured the Supreme Court’s initial ruling, aiming to influence public perception.

Some have also claimed that the agencies threatened them when they refused.

Looking into the issue of allowing mining in the Aravalli Hills and Range, the SC had in May 2024, formed a committee under the Union environment secretary to come up with a uniform definition of the Aravalli for the four Aravalli states — Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. On October 13, 2025, the committee proposed that “any landform located in the Aravalli districts, having an elevation of 100 metres or more from the local relief” would be designated as “Aravalli Hills”, and “Aravalli Range” will be a collection of two or more such hills within 500 meters of each other.

On November 20, the apex court accepted the proposal triggering concerns among environmentalists about the ecology of the Aravalli Hills. Those criticizing the 100-metre formula argued that redefining the Aravalli Hills based on height could jeopardize the low, scrub-covered hills that were ecologically critical. The Indian Express noted, “If all 1,18,575 Aravalli hills are considered, over 99 per cent will not make the 100-metre cut, according to the FSI’s internal assessment. The FSI (Forest Survey of India) conveyed its concerns to the ministry, which decided to go ahead with the 100-metre definition anyway.”

People took to the streets protesting against the Supreme Court judgment, while social media was flooded with videos questioning the relevance of the 100-metre criterion. It is interesting to note that in 2010, the Supreme Court itself had rejected the same formula.

Amid widespread criticism and mass outrage, the Supreme Court took suo-moto cognisance of the case and a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant on December 29 stayed the implementation of its earlier direction. It also proposed the formation of a high-powered expert committee with subject experts to resolve all ambiguities.

Offers for Paid Promotion to ‘Shift Public Perception’ 

Amid the whole debate, Alt News discovered that several social media influencers reported being approached by agencies to create content in support of the November 20 Supreme Court judgment, which accepted the government stand on the Aravalli, with financial compensation offered for their work.

Instagram creator Anmol Saxena, popularly known as Jazbati Saxena, who has close to 2 lakh followers on the platform, shared a video on December 24, 2025, alleging that he had been approached by a public relations agency with an offer to influence his content related to the Aravalli Hills.

In the video, Saxena claims that he received an email from the agency requesting him to delete a previously uploaded reel in which he questioned the 100-metre criteria. According to Saxena, the agency offered him a handsome amount of money to take down the earlier video and upload a new reel aligned with a narrative provided by the agency. While Saxena shared a screenshot of the email in his post, he did not disclose the name of the PR firm or the amount he had been offered.

The email, which is shown by Saxena in the video, states that given Jazbati Saxena’s Instagram reach, the agency wanted to onboard him for a “strategic campaign regarding the Aravalli project.” The campaign reportedly required Saxena to highlight the “infrastructure and growth perspective of the Aravalli project”, which the agency said was “missing” from the “current public narrative”. As a part of the campaign, Saxena expected to remove the earlier reel, upload a new one emphasising the “development benefits of the project”, and share a story of the same in his account. The amount offered, a six-digit figure, has been partially masked. 

In his video, Saxena states that he declined the offer. He stated that he was unwilling to participate in campaigns that, according to him, manipulate or mislead the audience to justify environmentally damaging actions, including the felling of trees in the Aravalli system, which he said would exacerbate problems like pollution. 

Another content creator on Instagram, Molik Jain, posted a video on December 25, revealing that he was offered approximately 50,000 to 60,000 rupees to “mislead” his audience. In the video, he shared a screenshot of an email he received on his personal account. The email, which was partially visible in the screenshot, stated that based on Molik’s Instagram reach and storytelling style, the agency wanted to invite him for a “paid collaboration” as part of an upcoming “digital awareness campaign.” The email described the campaign brief as “confidential” and clarified that its objective was “to shift public perception regarding the recent discussions concerning the Aravalli Hills development project.” One key expectation outlined in the email was that the content should address the recent online criticism and backlash surrounding the opposition to the project. 

While recording the video, Molik directed his frustration at those behind the campaign, accusing them of “selling the country.” He stated that creators who accepted these offers and produced content in line with the agency’s demands were essentially being paid to mislead their audience. He clarified that his intention in creating the video was to raise awareness about such paid collaborations.

Another content creator, Shahbaz Alam, with approximately 110K followers, posted a video on Instagram on December 25, calling out a coordinated attempt to influence influencers’ content on the Aravalli issue by proposing a lump-sum amount.

In his video, Alam claimed that several influencers were sent a link to a video created by another popular content creator and were asked to produce an identical video aimed at countering what was described as the “misinformation about the Aravalli”. According to Alam, the influencers were told that the script could be reused verbatim, with no changes. And words or lines like “Have you read the judgment?” and “Without reading the judgment, saying things with half-knowledge just spreads misinformation” were encouraged to be used. 

Content creator Madeep Sehrawat, known as @thecalmguyyy, shared a video on December 24, in which he called out an agency called Social Arrow Media. He alleged that the agency contacted him to create content supporting the Supreme Court’s judgment regarding the Aravalli Hills in exchange for money. Sehrawat also shared a screenshot of this communication.

In the video, Sehrawat mentioned that when he declined the offer, the agency attempted to persuade him by sharing a link to a video by another popular creator, Prafful Garg, who had made a similar video. Sehrawat criticized the moral compass of influencers who chose to collaborate with such agencies, claiming they were “influencing the audience the wrong way.”

Similarly, another creator, Aditya, who runs the page @genzwayofficial, shared a video on December 24, 2025, alleging that there was an ongoing PR campaign in which paid collaborations were being offered to create content favouring the SC judgment, under the condition that neither the collaboration nor the compensation be disclosed to audiences. 

Aditya alleges that similar offers were proposed to him and other influencers as well. 

When Alt News reached out to the above influencers to gather more information about the campaign, the agencies involved, and the proposals made to them, they were hesitant in speaking to us due to concerns about potential repercussions. Some expressed worries about facing a boycott from the agencies, which they said they could not afford, as they relied on these collaborations. “As creators, we are heavily dependent on these marketing agencies for our business. If I reveal even one name, there’s a significant chance that all the agencies will boycott me.”

“These are well-known marketing agencies that have extensive experience working with creators and are established in the market,” one of them told Alt News.

A screenshot shared with Alt News by one of the influencers reveals that he was approached by an agency to create content in “simple language” and with “factual evidence,” while also aiming to “shift the focus” towards illegal mining, without taking any political stance or targeting any specific group. 

‘Threatened’ by Agencies on Refusal: ‘We can Proceed Legally, or Otherwise’

Anmol ‘Jazbati’ Saxena shared a video in which he alleged that after rejecting an offer from an agency and creating a video about it, he was threatened by the agency. Saxena recorded the conversation and included it in the video. 

In the recording, a man is heard asking Saxena to remove the video containing a screenshot of the email. Saxena declines the request. The man then warns him that if he does not take down the video himself, they have other ways to do so, either legally or illegally. He states, “If you do not remove it yourself, we know how to take it down. We can proceed legally, or we can use other means.” (Agar aap khud take down kar lijiye warna humey toh take down karne k tarikhey aate hai. Hum legally bhi iss chex ko carry on kar sakte hai, or illegally bhi kar sakte hai). The man also questions Saxena’s financial stability to determine if he is prepared to engage in a legal battle with the agency.

Similarly, Molik Jain uploaded a video on December 28, stating that he had been receiving threatening phone calls and messages asking him to take down the video where he spoke about the paid promotion offers, or face ‘serious consequences’. 

Posts in Favour of Govt’s 100-metre Formula 

While some content creators refused to comply with the offers, Alt News found around 13 Instagram accounts that posted videos in favour of the initial Supreme Court judgement. These are as follows:

Videos with Identical Arguments, Same Phrases Shared on Same Date

We noticed several tell-tale similarities in the content that they posted.

The first noticeable pattern is the date when these videos were uploaded. Among the 13 accounts, 10 uploaded videos on December 23, 2025, more than a month after the initial SC ruling.  

Secondly, most of the videos used identical arguments that were not supported by verifiable or credible evidence. For instance, several creators justified the 100-metre formula by claiming that major minerals like copper, zinc, and lead were found only in such elevations, without citing any authoritative sources to substantiate the claim.

Thirdly, multiple creators repeated the same phrases and rhetorical questions, including: “Half-knowledge is more dangerous than no knowledge,” “Have you even read the Supreme Court judgment?”, “Who said the Aravalli is in danger?”, and “Has the Supreme Court sold the Aravalli?”. Most of them described the SC ruling as a necessary step for ‘plugging legal loopholes’. 

Readers should note that Shahbaz Alam, one of the creators who refused the offer, claimed that he was asked by the agency to use phrases and lines like “Have you read the judgment?” and “Without reading the judgment, saying things with half-knowledge just spreads misinformation”.

Fourth, several videos referred to police officers and government officials who were allegedly killed for taking action against illegal mining in the Aravalli ranges. 

Fifth, most of the creators mentioned the point that between 1975 and 2019, almost 8% of the Aravalli Hills and Ranges vanished due to illegal mining and studies warned that it could reach up to 22% by 2059. They also added stats that 1/4th of the Aravalli in Rajasthan was gone. 

For example, Prafful Garg, who identifies himself as an independent journalist and has 2.3 million followers on Instagram, shared a video supporting the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the redefinition of the Aravalli region. 

In his video, Garg begins by stating, “Half knowledge is always more dangerous than no knowledge.” He argues that the outrage surrounding the Aravalli issue was unfounded, as the Supreme Court’s decision to define what constitutes the Aravalli Hills aims to protect the area from illegal mining activities. He emphasizes that this move will help safeguard the lives of local residents, the police officers, and government officials who have been attacked and killed while investigating illegal mining companies. 

Garg highlights alarming statistics: 8% of the Aravalli region has vanished due to illegal mining between 1975 and 2019, and one-fourth of Rajasthan’s Aravallis have already disappeared. He urges viewers not to panic but to take their time and thoroughly read the relevant documents before reacting.

Similar arguments, similar language and even some of the same phrases were used by content creators Utsav Aggarwal (Utsavisright), Manav Narang, Ankit Sharda, Bhavna Jaiswal, Vivek Sehrawat and others.

Curiously, Ankit Sharda uploaded a video with a pro-government stance on December 23, urging people to be more aware and learn the truth before reacting. Just two days before that, on December 21, he had uploaded a video claiming that the Aravalli Hills and Ranges were in danger due to the judgment passed by the Supreme Court.

Sehrawat uploaded his video on December 24, where he supported the 100-metre formula by stating that even garbage dumping mounds in Ghaziabad rose to heights of over 60 metres. Like many others, he claimed that hills lower than 100 metres in height did not contain essential minerals.

Questions over Involvement of Agencies

This is not the first time that Alt News has reported on such an issue. Last year, Alt News did a detailed story on how influencers were contacted by agencies to create paid collaboration posts promoting ethanol-blended petrol. In that case, too, the points made in the videos were similar — such as the environmental benefits of ethanol-blended petrol and how farmers could profit from it. This indicated a coordinated effort to amplify the government’s message.

At least a couple of content creators had then claimed to have rejected the offer to make pro-Ethanol reels and opened up on their stand in this matter on Instagram. One had named an agency called Hextech Media.

Since in the present case, the name of Social Arrow Media came up, we reached out to its founders Nancy Garg and Udit Thapa, to know more about their involvement in the campaign. We will update this report as and when there is a response. According to the information available online, Social Arrow Media is a company based in Rohini, Delhi. Founded in 2021, it works in the domains of “Meme marketing, influencer and micro influencer marketing and movie marketing”.

Just five days before his passing on January 7, environmentalist Madhav Gadgil gave an interview to Down to Earth, where he addressed the Aravalli controversy. “Gadgil was of the firm view that the central government often uses its institutions to misinform citizens or suppress information that may trigger resistance. On the Aravallis, he said the Centre used the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Geological Survey of India (GOI) and Soil Survey of India (SOI) to bring a definition that suited it the most,” the report states.

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