The official website of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a youth-led satirical political outfit, was taken down on Saturday (May 23, 2026) at 9 a.m.

Accusing the Indian Government of orchestrating the takedown, CJP’s founder, 30-year-old Abhijeet Dipke, wrote on social media platform X that the organisation’s website had garnered nearly 10 lakh members. In the same post, he claimed that over six lakh people had signed a petition on Friday (May 22, 2026) demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.

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Formed on May 16 as an exercise in political satire following Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s controversial “cockroach” remark (which he later clarified), the Cockroach Janta Party rapidly evolved from a Google form circulated on Mr. Dipke’s X account into a full-fledged online movement. Within days, the CJP expanded to a website and an Instagram account that amassed 22.1 million followers — surpassing the online following of every major political party in India.

The CJP’s meteoric rise over the course of a week triggered intense reactions online, ranging from admiration and ridicule to political suspicion. This period also saw multiple CJP-linked accounts being flooded online, allegations of death threats against Mr. Dipke and his family, and accusations that the outfit’s social media handles had been hacked or withheld. On May 21, the CJP’s X account, which had over two lakh followers, was withheld in India. Mr. Dipke later launched a new account titled ‘Cockroach Is Back’, which has clocked 2.1 lakh followers (as on May 23, 8:15 p.m.).

“A national daily reported that my X account was blocked under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, following a direction from the Centre, in the wake of inputs from the Intelligence Bureau that raised ‘national security concerns’. It’s one thing that this outfit is a satire, perceived as a national threat, and another that it comprises the country's youth. Are you saying that satire and the youth of this country are a national threat? Today, I woke up to having lost all access to my personal account on Instagram and also the CJP’s account on the social media platform. Attempts to hack into my accounts have been made for three days now,” Mr. Dipke told The Hindu over a phone call from the U.S., where he is based.

The first death threat he received was from an unknown phone number on May 22, Mr. Dipke said. “Since then, I have been constantly receiving threats. The most alarming of them was one in which a man, unhinged about revealing his face, went on to send me a death threat via WhatsApp video. The other threat came with the address of my house in India, where my parents stay,” he added.

Based continents away from his loved ones, Mr. Dipke expressed concern for his parents’ safety. “The decision to start this practical satire was my decision and choice. My family and loved ones had no role, no say in this. I feel really upset about them being dragged into it for no fault of theirs,” he said.

The CJP is not yet a political party; that is, it’s not registered with the Election Commission of India. Mr. Dipke has, however, worked with the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) social media team from 2020 to 2023, and there has been speculation about his alleged association with the AAP, which he is quick to rubbish. “I have worked with them, and I have no qualms in owning that. But this satirical outfit has nothing to do with the AAP. Ideologically, I would reinforce that we are inspired by Gandhi, Ambedkar and Nehru,” he said.

Mr. Dipke has criticised the ruling party for sabotaging the satirical movement. “I don’t think the ruling party has the stomach for sarcasm,” he said.  

“Why is the government so scared of cockroaches? But this dictatorial behaviour is opening the eyes of India’s youth. Our only crime is [that] we were demanding a better future for ourselves. But you can’t get rid of us that easily. We’re working on a new home right now. Cockroaches never die,” Mr. Dipke said in his X post on the takedown of the CJP’s website.