Setting Up a Political Party Is a Right, Not a Crime — Death Threats to Satire Outfit Founder Test India’s Democratic Promise.

Is it a crime to launch a political party in India? The Constitution says no. Yet the founder of a viral satirical platform, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), claims he received death threats within days of launching it, raising questions about free speech, political dissent, and the price of satire in a democracy.

On May 22, 2026, Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Boston University student and former AAP digital strategist, posted screenshots of WhatsApp messages he said were death threats. One read in Hindi: _“Listen, you will get paid to close the account. Otherwise, we can get you killed even in America”. Another said: “We have your number. It won’t take us time to find your house” Dipke alleged the sender pressured him to “shut down the account or join the BJP."

The threats came a day after CJP’s X account was “with held in response to a legal demand”. The Centre reportedly told X that the satirical handle posed a “national security threat”. Dipke, currently in the US, told The Indian Express he fears for his family in Maharashtra: “I just received a video in which a man is saying that they have reached outside my home”.

CJP began as a meme page after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s remark comparing some youth to “cockroaches” and “parasites”. Dipke reclaimed the term, branding CJP the “voice of the lazy and unemployed”. It gained 19-20 million followers in six days, surpassing BJP and Congress on Instagram. 

On May 22, Dipke launched a signature campaign demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over NEET paper leaks, drawing 2.79 lakh signatures. Hours later, his X account was blocked and threats followed. 

Is forming a party illegal?

Article 19(1)(c) guarantees citizens the right “to form associations or unions”. The Representation of the People Act, 1951 lays out registration rules with the Election Commission. Satire is protected speech under Article 19(1)(a), subject only to “reasonable restrictions” for sovereignty, security, public order, etc.

Threatening to kill someone for political activity is a crime under IPC Sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

Asking X to withhold an account requires a lawful order under Section 69A, IT Act, citing national security or public order. The govt told X that CJP was a “national security threat”. 

Forcing someone to join a party violates Article 19 and the right to free association.

Dipke’s parents, Bhagwan and Anita Dipke, said they “lost sleep worrying about Abhijeet’s safety and possible arrest”. His mother urged him to “stay away from politics”. 

In a democracy, forming a party — satirical or serious — is legal. Issuing death threats to stop it is a crime. The test for India’s institutions is whether they protect the right to political speech, or let intimidation define who gets to speak.

If you receive threats for political expression, contact local police or cybercrime helpline 1930. For legal aid: NALSA 15100.