X has withheld the account of the satirical political collective Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in India, just four days after it launched on May 16 and gained more than 200,000 followers on the platform. It now displays a notice stating that it has been withheld in India “in response to a legal demand.”
At the same time, the group’s Instagram page remained active and surpassed 13 million followers.
Reacting to the action, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote on X, “Cockroach Janta Party’s account was started on 16th May. Within 4 days the account got banned because it got more than 200K following.”
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) May 21, 2026Cockroach Janta Party’s account was started on 16th May.
Within 4 days the account got banned because it got more than 200K following. pic.twitter.com/q93MTXIbrm
How the movement started: The online campaign was launched by Dipke, a Boston University graduate and former social media volunteer associated with the Aam Aadmi Party. The collective describes itself as a youth-led political movement that uses satire, memes and online campaigns to raise issues such as unemployment, exam paper leaks, political accountability, and freedom of expression.
The name “Cockroach Janta Party” emerged after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant allegedly compared some unemployed youth and online activists to “cockroaches” during a court hearing, triggering online criticism. The Chief Justice later clarified that his remarks were directed at people using fake degrees to enter professions.
Since then, the movement has rapidly gained attention online, with opposition leaders, activists, and social media users engaging with its posts. The group has also claimed to have received lakhs of registrations within days of its launch.
Part of a wider pattern of online restrictions: The withholding of CJP’s X account comes amid a wider rise in account suspensions, geo-blocking orders and content takedowns in India across X, Instagram, and Facebook. In recent months, journalists, satirists, political commentators and digital media platforms have reported account restrictions or content removals, often citing legal demands or platform policy violations.
Recent cases include the temporary suspension of Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng’s Instagram account after her viral exchange with Indian officials during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Norway, and the suspension of digital news platform Molitics’ Instagram account days after its Facebook page was restricted in India.
MediaNama documented more than 40 instances of account withholding, geo-blocking or content takedowns in March 2026 alone, involving journalists, satire pages, political commentators, and ordinary users.
What the party says it stands for: Its manifesto mixes satire with political demands, including a ban on post-retirement Rajya Sabha positions for Chief Justices, greater accountability for the Election Commission, reservation for women in Parliament as well as in Cabinet positions, and reforms related to employment and media ownership.
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