NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday claimed that his Instagram account and party page were hacked, days after the satirical campaign he launched went viral and attracted massive online engagement.Dipke said the alleged hacking was part of a wider ‘crackdown’ on his online presence as multiple accounts linked to him were affected.In a post on X, Dipke wrote:“Crackdown on Cockroach Janta Party.Instagram page hacked.My personal Instagram hacked.Twitter account withheldBack up account also taken down.”He also said that the party do not have access to any of the social media platforms and any post shouldn’t be considered an official statement from CJP. “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,” he wrote. Dipke, a student at Boston University and a former associate of the Aam Aadmi Party, launched the satirical digital campaign barely a week ago. Since then, the platform has gained significant traction online, with its Instagram account reportedly crossing 19 million followers.The ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ trend emerged following controversy around remarks allegedly made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a hearing on a plea seeking senior designation for a lawyer. According to Dipke, the idea was inspired after reports claimed the Chief Justice used the terms ‘parasites’ and ‘cockroaches’ while criticising individuals entering the legal profession through fake degrees. The Chief Justice later clarified that he had been misquoted and that the remarks were directed specifically at people obtaining ‘fake and bogus degrees’.Despite the clarification, the Cockroach Janata Party—using a cockroach as its symbol—quickly went viral online through memes, satire, graphics and political commentary.The platform’s content largely focuses on issues affecting young people, including unemployment, exam paper leaks and education, presented in the form of satirical manifestos and campaign-style posts. Dipke has described the movement as the ‘voice of the lazy and unemployed’.Earlier, Dipke claimed that he received death threats on WhatsApp shortly after the platform gained attention online.Sharing screenshots of the messages, he wrote: “Receiving death threats now.”According to Dipke, the sender allegedly threatened him over the operation of the Cockroach Janta Party account and pressured him to either shut it down or join the BJP.
