The creator of a satirical social media presence that rapidly attracted more than 22 million Instagram followers in India claims he’s facing government retaliation and family intimidation after his content criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
Abhijeet Dipke, who runs the “Cockroach Janta Party” account, says his content struck a chord with India’s younger generation by addressing issues like joblessness and educational scandals, including leaked examination materials.
“The government has taken down our iconic website,” Dipke stated on X, claiming that his X account had been restricted in India, his Instagram presence had been hacked, and his relatives had been intimidated.
Reuters was unable to confirm independently whether government officials ordered the website’s removal. Neither India’s home ministry nor IT department responded when asked for comment about any actions taken against the social media accounts or website.
The account’s rapid rise in popularity stands in sharp contrast to recent election successes by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in important state races, strengthening the party’s position after governing nationally for over ten years.
The Internet Freedom Foundation, which advocates for digital rights, condemned what it called an arbitrary attempt to silence free expression through the alleged blocking of the X account.
Federal minister Kiren Rijiju, a prominent BJP official, responded to the controversy on social media by expressing sympathy for those who he suggested were gaining followers from foreign sources.
“Those who are heroes of the anti-India gang cannot be heroes of India,” Rijiju wrote on X without directly referencing the viral account. “We have complete faith in Indian democracy and Indian youth.”
In response to the minister’s comments, Dipke shared data about his Instagram audience demographics, stating, “More than 94% of the audience is from India.”
He also questioned on X, “Why is a union minister, Kiren Rijiju, labelling Indian youth as Pakistani?”
Research by polling organization CVoter revealed that the issues raised by the account connected with younger Indians, with over 60% of survey participants between ages 18 and 24 expressing worry about their prospects.
Sixty percent of those surveyed indicated the account captured their frustrations regarding joblessness and administrative problems such as leaked test materials, including a recent medical school entrance examination that impacted approximately 2.3 million test-takers.
Official statistics show that unemployment among India’s city-dwelling young people reaches 14%, significantly exceeding the national unemployment rate of roughly 5%.
Most survey participants believed government efforts to block such social media platforms would be unjustified.
Lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan suggested the online movement might expand if it moves beyond digital platforms.
“If they want to take it forward, they will have to organise and mobilise on the ground,” he stated.
