'Cockroach Janta Party' X Handle Blocked After IB Flagged ‘National Security’ Threat: Report

Last Updated:May 22, 2026, 11:09 IST

Intelligence agencies flagged the account over allegedly “inflammatory” content and concerns linked to “the sovereignty and integrity of India”

The X handle of “Cockroach Janta Party", the viral satirical collective that emerged after controversy over Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s remarks on people who “attack the system", was withheld in India on Thursday on the Centre’s direction following Intelligence Bureau (IB) inputs citing “national security concerns".

According to a report by The Indian Express, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the order under Section 69A of the IT Act after intelligence agencies flagged the account over allegedly “inflammatory" content and concerns linked to “the sovereignty and integrity of India".

Under Section 69A, the Centre has powers to direct intermediaries to block online content in the interests of sovereignty, defence, public order or national security.

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The development comes after X users in India on Wednesday found the satirical account inaccessible, with the platform displaying the message that the handle had been “withheld in India in response to a legal demand".

According to X guidelines, any account or post is withheld if the social networking site receives a “valid and properly scoped request from an authorised entity". “Such withholdings will be limited to the specific jurisdiction that has issued the valid legal demand or where the content has been found to violate local law(s)," it states.

The meme-driven collective had rapidly gone viral over the past week, especially among young Indians. What began as a satirical online campaign soon transformed into a wider digital protest movement fuelled by Gen-Z humour, anti-establishment memes and political commentary.

Founded by Boston University student Abhijeet Dipke, the page branded itself as the “voice of the lazy and unemployed", rapidly attracting millions of views and followers across platforms. “As expected, Cockroach Janta Party’s account has been withheld in India," Dipke posted from his account on Thursday afternoon. Less than two hours later, he announced a new handle for the platform, Cockroach Is Back, and urged people to join it.

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