The X handle of ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ (CJP), a satirical account that emerged following Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s controversial remarks, was withheld on Thursday after the government directed the platform to block it, citing “national security concerns” .
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the blocking order under Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, based on inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) .
Why the government blocked the account
A senior government official told The Indian Express that the IB flagged the account for posting “inflammatory content” that could jeopardize national security. “In particular, the concern stemmed from the fact that the account’s content was gaining traction among young people,” the official said .
The account had amassed over 200,000 followers on X and an astonishing 16 million followers on Instagram within just five days of its launch – surpassing the official Instagram handles of both the BJP (8.8 million) and the Congress (13.3 million) .
What triggered the movement
The Cockroach Janta Party was founded on May 16 by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old political communication strategist from Pune who previously worked with the Aam Aadmi Party .
The movement was a direct satirical response to remarks made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a Supreme Court hearing on May 15. The CJI had observed: “There are youngsters, like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment or have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists, and they start attacking everyone” .
The remarks sparked outrage among unemployed youth already frustrated by rising joblessness and exam paper leaks. The CJI later issued a clarification, stating he was referring to individuals with fake degrees, not unemployed youth in general .
Section 69(A) and the blocking framework
The government invoked Section 69(A) of the IT Act, which empowers the Centre to restrict public access to information in the interest of sovereignty, security, or public order. Blocking orders issued under this provision are governed by the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009, and are typically kept confidential .
According to X’s guidelines, accounts are withheld when the platform receives a “valid and properly scoped request from an authorized entity” .
Founder’s response: ‘Cockroaches don’t die’
Within hours of the blocking, Dipke launched a new handle – ‘Cockroach is Back’ (@Cockroachisback) – with the defiant tagline: “Cockroaches don’t die!” .
“As expected, Cockroach Janta Party’s account has been withheld in India,” Dipke posted, calling the move an “own goal” by the government .
He also alleged that attempts were being made to hack the movement’s Instagram account, though the Meta-owned platform remained active and continued to gain followers .
Political reactions
The blocking order drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra praised Dipke, saying CJP now has the “largest number of Insta followers” . Congress leader Shashi Tharoor called the withholding “disastrous and deeply unwise,” arguing that “democracies need outlets for dissent, humour, satire and even frustration” .
Activist Yogendra Yadav remarked: “Those who cannot take a joke are themselves a joke. The ban on the Cockroach Janata Party shows that the government may look strong, but it is hollow” .
BJP leaders, however, dismissed the campaign as a “social media gimmick” orchestrated to target institutions .
What’s next
The Instagram account remains accessible and continues to gain followers, though a government official indicated that a blocking request for the Meta platform is “currently underway” .
Dipke has stated that his team will pursue the matter legally, while the movement’s X presence continues through backup handles .
