The X account of ‘Cockroach Janta Party’, a satirical social media handle created after remarks by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant triggered controversy, was withheld in India on Thursday following directions from the Centre over alleged national security concerns.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) directed X to block access to the account under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, after receiving inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), a senior government official told The Indian Express.
The official said the IB flagged the account for allegedly posting “inflammatory content” that could threaten India’s sovereignty and security, particularly because of its growing popularity among younger users.
IB Raised Concerns Over Growing Reach of Account
“MeitY received an input from the IB to block the X account of Cockroach Janta Party, citing that it posed a threat to the sovereignty of India,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because blocking orders are issued confidentially.
“The IB believed that the account was posting inflammatory content through its account, which could have jeopardised the country’s national security,” the official added.
The concern, according to the government source, was amplified by the rapid growth of the account’s online following. A second official said the blocking request was issued when the handle had nearly 90,000 followers. By Thursday evening, the account reportedly had crossed 200,000 followers globally.
ALSO READ | Youth Turn CJI’s ‘Cockroach’ Comment Into Yamuna Cleanup Protest: WATCH
Account Still Visible Outside India
While the account has been withheld within India, it remains accessible in several other countries, in line with X’s content restriction policies.
According to the platform’s guidelines, content or accounts may be withheld if X receives a “valid and properly scoped request from an authorised entity”. Such restrictions are generally limited to the jurisdiction issuing the legal demand.
The Instagram account linked to the satirical platform has not yet been blocked in India. As of Thursday evening, it reportedly had over 16 million followers.
However, the senior government official said the process to block the Instagram handle was also underway.
New Handle Emerges After Block
Shortly after the restriction was imposed, the platform’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, confirmed the action through his personal X account.
“As expected, Cockroach Janta Party’s account has been withheld in India,” Dipke posted on Thursday afternoon.
Less than two hours later, he announced a new handle titled ‘Cockroach Is Back’ and urged followers to join the account.
Dipke, 30, is originally from Maharashtra and said he is currently based in Boston.
ALSO READ | Pakistan Social Media Creates ‘Cockroach Awami Party’-Watch
Account Was Created After CJI Remark Row
The satirical account was launched following remarks by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant regarding individuals who “attack the system”, comments that had sparked widespread debate online.
Section 69A of the Information Technology Act empowers the Central government to block public access to online content in the interests of sovereignty, national security, public order or to prevent incitement to offences.
The process is governed under the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009, under which all blocking orders remain confidential.
