Founder of viral Indian Gen Z account alleges crackdown, threats

By Saurabh Sharma and Aftab Ahmed

May 25 (Reuters) New Delhi – A viral social media account focusing on the concerns of India’s Gen Z has come under attack, with its founder alleging hacking and threats to his family after it won millions of followers disenchanted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The satirical “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) account garnered more than 22 million followers on Instagram within days, reflecting mounting unease among young users on issues it highlighted, from unemployment to the leaks of exam questions.

“The government has taken down our iconic website,” founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote on X, adding that its X account had been withheld in India while the group’s Instagram account had been compromised and his family had received threats.

Reuters could not independently verify the claim of a government takedown. The government has not publicly confirmed any action against the website or the Instagram account.

India’s home and IT ministries did not respond to requests for comment.

STATE ELECTORAL WINS BY MODI’S PARTY

The surge in popularity of the account contrasts with recent electoral victories by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in key states, beefing up its position after more than a decade in power nationally.

Digital rights group the Internet Freedom Foundation criticised the alleged blocking of the X account as an arbitrary bid to curb free speech. 

On social media, federal minister Kiren Rijiju, a senior BJP leader, dismissed the phenomenon, saying he pitied those who sought their social media followers from outside the country. 

“Those who are heroes of the anti-India gang cannot be heroes of India,” Rijiju said on X in a post that made no mention of the viral CJP. “We have complete faith in Indian democracy and Indian youth.”

Reacting to the minister’s remark, Dipke posted a demographic analysis of his Instagram account, saying, “More than 94% of the audience is from India.”

On his X handle, he asked, “Why is a union minister, Kiren Rijiju, labelling Indian youth as Pakistani?”

YOUTH ANXIETY

A survey by polling agency CVoter found the concerns flagged by the account resonated with younger Indians, as more than 60% of respondents aged between 18 and 24 said they felt anxious about their future.

Six in ten survey respondents said it reflected frustrations over unemployment and governance issues such as exam paper leaks, including one for a recent medical entrance test that affected about 2.3 million candidates.

Joblessness among India’s urban youth stands at 14%, which is far higher than overall unemployment of about 5%, official data show.

A majority of survey respondents said any state action to block such social media platforms would not be justified.

Activist and lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the online movement could gain adherents if it spread beyond social media.

“If they want to take it forward, they will have to organise and mobilise on the ground,” he said.

(Reporting by Saurabh Sharma and Aftab Ahmad in New Delhi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)