Founder of viral Indian Gen Z account alleges crackdown, threats
A viral social media account focusing on the concerns of Indiaโs 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 Modiโs government. The satirical โCockroach Janta Partyโ (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. โThe government has taken down our iconic website,โ founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote on X, adding that its X account had been withheld in India while the groupโs 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. Indiaโs home and IT ministries did not respond to requests for comment. State electoral wins by Modiโs party The surge in popularity of the account contrasts with recent electoral victories by Modiโs Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 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. โThose who are heroes of the anti-India gang cannot be heroes of India,โ Rijiju said on X in a post that made no mention of the viral CJP. โWe have complete faith in Indian democracy and Indian youth.โ Reacting to the ministerโs remark, Dipke posted a demographic analysis of his Instagram account, saying, โMore than 94% of the audience is from India.โ On his X handle, he asked, โWhy is a union minister, Kiren Rijiju, labelling Indian youth as Pakistani?โ Youth anxiety A survey by polling agency CVoter found the concerns flagged by the account resonated with younger Indians, as more than 60 per cent of respondents aged between 18 and 24 said they felt anxious about their future. Six in 10 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 Indiaโs urban youth stands at 14pc, which is far higher than overall unemployment of about 5pc, 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. โIf they want to take it forward, they will have to organise and mobilise on the ground,โ he said.