Satirical Digital Group Alleges Online Crackdown After Accounts and Website Become Inaccessible

PTI, May 23, 2026, New Delhi : Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday alleged a sweeping crackdown on the satirical digital movement, claiming that all its social media accounts, as well as its website, have been taken down or compromised, leaving the group without access to any of its official platforms.

Dipke said the outfit has lost access to its Instagram accounts, its X handle has been withheld in India, its backup account was briefly taken down, and its website — cockroachjantaparty.org — has also been taken down.

"Please note that we currently do not have access to any of our platforms. Any post made after this should not be considered an official statement from the Cockroach Janta Party," Dipke said in a post on X.

Listing what he described as coordinated action against the movement, Dipke wrote, "Crackdown on Cockroach Janta Party. Instagram page hacked. My personal Instagram hacked. Twitter account withheld. Backup account also taken down."

The claims came two days after the CJP's original X handle was withheld in India, prompting Dipke to create a new account. On Friday, he also alleged receiving death threats and shared screenshots of purported threat messages online.

The outfit had launched a campaign seeking Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over alleged systemic failures in the education sector and the NEET-UG 2026 paper "leak".

Linking the action against the platform to the campaign, Dipke said, "Action should have been taken against the Education Minister for the paper leak. For the student who lost his life due to the government's failure. But in New India, action is being taken against the Cockroach Janta Party for demanding accountability."

In fresh posts shared from the backup X handle — "Cockroach is Back" — the group claimed that its movement continues to grow despite the alleged crackdown.

"We have achieved 1 million registered cockroaches on our website in less than a week! The movement keeps getting bigger despite all the crackdown!" the CJP said.

The group claimed that before its website was taken down, "10 lakh cockroaches had signed up on our website as members" and "6 lakh cockroaches had signed a petition to demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan".

"The government has taken down our iconic website," the post said, asking, "Why is the government so scared of cockroaches?"

Describing the campaign as youth-driven dissent, the group said, "Our only crime is we were demanding a better future for ourselves."

An image shared with the post carried the message: "They hacked all accounts, they couldn't hack the movement."

The handle also asserted that the campaign would continue despite losing access to its platforms.

"You can hack and withhold the accounts, but you cannot hack this movement," it said.

"We are not going to stop and we will keep raising our voice against this autocracy. Every attack makes cockroaches stronger," it added.

Signalling plans to rebuild its online presence, the group said, "We're working on a new home right now. Cockroaches never die."

The account also distanced itself from any protest call, urging supporters to remain peaceful.

The Cockroach Janta Party emerged online last week and rapidly gained traction through memes and political commentary around unemployment, examination paper leaks, and education-related issues.