New Delhi: The official Instagram account of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was temporarily unavailable on Saturday morning before being restored later in the day, with the organisation alleging that the takedown was an attempt to suppress its activities on Independence Day.
The outfit, which recently emerged as a prominent voice during student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, confirmed that access to its account had been regained.
In a statement shared after the account was restored, the CJP alleged that those opposed to the organisation had deliberately targeted its social media presence on August 15. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also criticised the development, describing the removal of the account as an attempt to silence the group.
The organisation did not provide evidence establishing who was responsible for the temporary removal of the account.
The incident came at a time when the CJP has been carrying out several campaigns focused on education, competitive examinations and issues concerning young people.
Focus shifts to government schools
On Independence Day, Dipke also announced plans for the launch of the organisation’s ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign, which aims to draw attention to the condition of government schools, particularly in rural areas.
Before travelling to his native village of Santuk Pimpri in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district, Dipke alleged that successive governments had failed to adequately improve infrastructure and facilities in government-run schools.
He argued that education needs to become a stronger public priority and urged citizens to question elected representatives and local authorities about the condition of schools.
Dipke also questioned the expenditure on large banners put up in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar during a Tiranga rally attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. While acknowledging the importance of the patriotic event, he argued that some of the money spent on publicity could instead have been directed towards schools and students in rural communities.
The CJP has proposed involving parents in social audits of schools, particularly to assess whether basic facilities are available. Dipke has also called on village sarpanches to take greater responsibility for improving educational infrastructure.
Questions over facilities for rural students
The campaign is expected to focus on issues such as access to drinking water, toilets and other essential facilities in village schools.
Dipke has argued that children in rural areas, including those from farming and working-class families, should not have to travel long distances simply to access basic education.
He has also questioned why resources have been allocated for major government buildings and other projects while many villages continue to struggle with inadequate school infrastructure.
The CJP has increasingly used student and education-related issues to build its public campaign, including raising concerns over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and calling for greater attention to unemployment and the concerns of young people.
Ahead of Independence Day, the organisation had also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use his national address to speak directly about issues facing India’s youth.
The temporary disappearance of the CJP’s Instagram account therefore came as the organisation continued its broader campaign around education and youth-related concerns. Although the account was subsequently restored, the group has alleged that its brief removal was an effort to limit its reach on a significant national occasion.
