| Petition signatures | 568,000+ (was 233,000 yesterday) |
| CJP Instagram | Hacked. Dipke claims access lost. 21.8M followers visible. |
| Dipke’s personal Instagram | Hacked. Access lost. |
| X accounts | Original withheld under IT Act. Backup @Cockroachisback also taken down. |
| Death threats | Received on WhatsApp. Screenshots published publicly by Dipke. |
| Dipke’s parents | Publicly expressed concern for son’s safety. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. |
| Trademark applications | Three filed seeking rights to “Cockroach Janta Party” name. |
| Government response | None. No ministry has commented. |
📌 This is the third in The Thursday Times’ series on the Cockroach Janta Party. Read the original report and the follow-up for full context.
NEW DELHI (The Thursday Times) — The Cockroach Janta Party has been silenced on every major platform it built in eight days, with founder Abhijeet Dipke alleging on 23 May 2026 that CJP’s Instagram was hacked, his personal Instagram was hacked, both his X accounts were removed, and he has been receiving death threats warning him he will be killed in the United States if he does not shut down the movement. The petition demanding the sacking of India’s Education Minister has crossed 568,000 signatures. The government has not said a single word.
In a series of posts on X on Saturday morning, Dipke wrote: “Crackdown on Cockroach Janta Party. Instagram page hacked. My personal Instagram hacked. Twitter account withheld. Back up account also taken down.” In a second post, he warned supporters: “Please note that we currently do not have access to any of our platforms. Any post made after this should not be considered an official statement from the Cockroach Janta Party.”
Then he added the line that has since circulated across Indian social media: “Action should have been taken against the Education Minister for the paper leak. For the student who lost his life due to the government’s failure. But in New India, action is being taken against the Cockroach Janta Party for demanding accountability.”
The Death Threats
On Friday, 22 May, Dipke posted screenshots on his X account showing death threat messages sent to his WhatsApp number. One of the messages, according to screenshots he shared publicly, told him he would be paid to close down the CJP account. If he refused, the message threatened, he could be killed in the United States. Dipke quoted the message as: “US me marwa denge”, meaning “We will get you killed in America.”
In an interview with The Indian Express, Dipke said he was concerned not only for his own safety but for his family members in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. His parents, Bhagwan Dipke and Anita Dipke, residents of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, publicly confirmed their anxiety about their son’s safety. His father said he wanted his son to secure a job after his studies rather than pursue a political career. The family said they had been unaware of the CJP until a neighbour told them, after which their grandchildren showed them how large it had grown.
“Action should have been taken against the Education Minister for the paper leak. For the student who lost his life due to the government’s failure. But in New India, action is being taken against the Cockroach Janta Party for demanding accountability.”
The Accounts: What was taken down and what remains
The original CJP X account, operating as “CJP_2029”, was withheld in India on 21 May 2026 in response to a legal demand filed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. MeitY, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, ordered the restriction. Dipke launched a backup account the same day called @Cockroachisback, which gathered 198,600 followers within hours. That account has since also been taken down, according to Dipke’s public posts.
CJP’s Instagram account, which had accumulated 21.8 million followers over eight days, was reported hacked by Dipke on Saturday morning. He said he had lost access to it. Published reports noted that the account was still visible to users as of Saturday morning, suggesting the account had not been deleted but that Dipke had lost administrative access to it. His personal Instagram account was also reported hacked, with Dipke saying he had repeatedly attempted to recover it through Meta’s recovery process without success.
568,000 Signatures and still climbing
Despite the crackdown on every platform CJP operated, the petition to sack Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has not slowed. As of Saturday morning, 23 May 2026, more than 568,000 people had signed the petition at petition.cockroachjantaparty.org/sack. That is more than double the 233,000 signatures recorded the previous day. The petition’s stated goal was 100,000 signatures before hand-delivery to the Prime Minister’s Office. It has now crossed that target more than five times over.
The Education Ministry has made no public statement. Dharmendra Pradhan has not responded to the petition or to any of the demands made by CJP in connection with the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, which forced over 22 lakh students to retake India’s national medical entrance exam. The CBI investigation into the leak is ongoing. The re-test is scheduled for 21 June 2026.
Trademark Applications: Three separate attempts to claim the name
In a development that signals how seriously others are watching the CJP’s commercial and political potential, three separate trademark applications have been filed seeking rights to the name “Cockroach Janta Party.” The applications were filed under the category of political and social services by individuals named Azim Adambhai Jam and Akhand Swarup, and by a proprietorship firm calling itself “Cockroach Janata Party.” None of the applicants are connected to Abhijeet Dipke or the original movement. The applications have not yet been granted.
“This is something unprecedented that is happening. The plan is to change the political discourse and to make politicians more accountable.”
CBS news, The world is still watching
While every Indian platform CJP operated is being taken down one by one, the international media coverage has not slowed. CBS News described the CJP’s rise as something that appears to have “spooked India’s leaders.” The report noted that some Indian politicians believe government action against CJP is a misstep. Dipke told CBS News: “Five years ago, nobody was ready to speak up against Modi or the government. The times are now changing.” He added that there are no plans to field candidates in elections, describing CJP as an accountability movement rather than a conventional political party.
Eight days. What has been built. What has been lost
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| 15 May | Chief Justice Surya Kant compares youth to cockroaches in open court |
| 16 May | Abhijeet Dipke founds CJP. Website goes live. |
| 17-19 May | Instagram crosses 10M, then 20M. Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad publicly associate. |
| 21 May | Original X account withheld under Section 69A IT Act. Backup @Cockroachisback launched. |
| 22 May | Petition launched. Death threats received. Volunteers protest in cockroach costumes. |
| 23 May | Instagram hacked. Personal Instagram hacked. Backup X taken down. 568,000 petition signatures. Three trademark applications filed. Parents speak publicly. |
The Cockroaches are still here
Eight days after a Supreme Court judge used the word cockroach as an insult, the Cockroach Janta Party has lost access to every platform it built, its founder is receiving death threats, his parents are publicly worried, and three separate individuals are trying to trademark the name. The petition calling for the Education Minister’s resignation has crossed 568,000 signatures. The government has said nothing.
Dipke, writing from Boston on Saturday morning, ended his post with a line that has since been shared tens of thousands of times: “Cockroaches don’t die.”
People also ask: CJP crackdown
Was the Cockroach Janta Party Instagram hacked?
Abhijeet Dipke claimed on 23 May 2026 that CJP’s Instagram account was hacked and that he had lost access to it. He also claimed his personal Instagram was hacked. Published reports noted the account remained visible to users with 21.8 million followers as of Saturday morning, suggesting access had been lost rather than the account deleted. Meta has not publicly commented.
Why was CJP’s X account withheld in India?
The original CJP X account was withheld in India on 21 May 2026 under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, following an order from MeitY, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. X withholds accounts in specific countries when it receives legally compliant orders from those countries’ governments. The backup account @Cockroachisback was subsequently also taken down.
How many signatures does the CJP petition have now?
As of 23 May 2026, the CJP petition to sack Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had crossed 568,000 signatures, up from 233,000 the previous day. The petition’s original stated goal was 100,000 signatures before hand-delivery to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Did Abhijeet Dipke receive death threats?
Dipke publicly shared screenshots on 22 May 2026 of messages he claimed were death threats sent to his WhatsApp number. One message, as shared by Dipke, threatened that he would be killed in the United States if he did not close down the CJP account. The Indian Express reported that Dipke expressed concern for his family in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra. His parents publicly confirmed their worry about his safety.
What is Section 69A of India’s IT Act?
Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 gives the Indian government the power to direct social media platforms and other intermediaries to block public access to content or accounts in India. It is the primary legal instrument used to restrict social media accounts in India. No judicial order is required before a blocking order is issued under this section.
Has the government responded to the CJP crackdown allegations?
No. As of 23 May 2026, no Indian government ministry has publicly commented on Dipke’s allegations of Instagram hacking, the backup X account removal, or the death threats. MeitY has not issued a statement on the Section 69A order used to withhold the original CJP X account.
Sources: Business Today, The Week, Tribune India, Scroll.in, WION News, Deccan Herald, CBS News, NewsX, Indian News Network. All claims about hacking and death threats are attributed to Abhijeet Dipke’s own public statements and have not been independently verified by The Thursday Times. The government has not responded to any outlet’s request for comment. Petition signature count based on published reports as of 23 May 2026 morning. This article will be updated as the story develops.
