After X Ban, Govt May Move To Block Cockroach Janata Party Instagram Handle

The Centre is likely to move against the Instagram account linked to ‘Cockroach Janta Party’, the viral satirical platform whose X handle was withheld in India on Thursday over alleged national security concerns, government officials said.

According to a senior government official, the Instagram page associated with the account has not yet been blocked in India but action against it is currently “underway”. The page had more than 16 million followers as of Thursday evening, significantly larger than its X presence, according to a report by The Indian Express. 

The development comes hours after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) directed X to withhold the ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ account in India under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act following inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

IB Flagged Account Over ‘Inflammatory Content’

Government officials said the IB raised concerns that the satirical platform was posting “inflammatory content” that could threaten India’s sovereignty and national security.

“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,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity because blocking orders are confidential.

“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.

Officials also claimed that the growing popularity of the content among younger users contributed to concerns within the government.

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Instagram Reach Far Bigger Than X Following

While the X account had crossed more than 200,000 followers globally by Thursday evening, officials said the blocking request was first sent when the handle had around 90,000 followers.

In contrast, the linked Instagram account had amassed over 19 million followers – surpassing the follower count of Bharatiya Janata Party’s official Instagram page – making it one of the platform’s most widely followed satirical pages in India.

“However, it is likely that the Instagram account would also be blocked, and that process is currently underway,” the senior official said.

Despite the restriction in India, the X account continues to remain accessible outside the country under the platform’s geo-restriction policies.

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Block Order Issued Under IT Act

The action against the X account was carried out under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which empowers the Central government to restrict public access to online content in the interest of sovereignty, security and public order.

The blocking process is governed by the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009. Orders issued under the framework remain confidential.

The satirical platform was launched after remarks by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant regarding people who “attack the system” sparked debate online.