Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday criticised the government’s crackdown on social media accounts, saying that restricting online voices would not erase public grievances and could instead deepen distrust in the government.In a post on X, Dipke said the government was missing the point by targeting posts and accounts on Instagram, where people were raising questions about issues affecting them.The Instagram crackdown is not going to work!The government is taking down thousands of posts and accounts every day, but it seems to be missing a fundamental point.Instagram is just a platform where people are raising their questions. The reasons behind those questions exist far beyond social media, and taking down accounts won’t make them disappear.If anything, this censorship risks creating even more distrust among the very people the government is supposed to answer to.— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 28, 2026“The Instagram crackdown is not going to work!” he said, arguing that the reasons behind public questions existed beyond social media and could not be eliminated by taking down accounts.“If anything, this censorship risks creating even more distrust among the very people the government is supposed to answer to,” Dipke added.His remarks come amid concerns over content takedown orders, social media restrictions and freedom of expression. Activists and political groups have raised objections to the withholding of accounts and removal of content, including under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.They argue that social media platforms serve as a channel for grievances rooted in real-world issues, including paper leaks, unemployment, governance and public infrastructure, and that restricting online discussions does little to address the underlying concerns.Delhi HC seeks Centre’s response over Instagram handle withholdingDipke’s remarks come a day after the Delhi High Court sought the Centre’s response to a petition challenging the withholding of the Instagram handle @bring_back__ballot in India.The handle is associated with the “Bring Back Ballot” initiative of Mission Save Constitution and advocate Mehmood Pracha, its national convenor. The account was withheld on October 10, ahead of a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding a return to paper ballots in elections.Justice Amit Mahajan issued notices to the Central Government and the concerned department, seeking their response. The matter has been listed for hearing on November 6.Advocate Amee Rana appeared for Meta Platforms and accepted notice. Central Government Standing Counsel Ashish Dixit accepted notice on behalf of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the designated officer.The petition, filed through advocate Nikhil Guliani, challenges the withholding of the account. Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Sanawar Chaudhary told the court that the handle began displaying the message “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content” on October 10, the day of the protest.The petitioners alleged that they had not been provided any notice, hearing, reasons or copy of the order directing the restriction.The account had advocated a return to paper ballots under the slogan “EVM Hatao Desh Bachao” and was used to mobilise citizens for the peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10. The petition stated that prior intimation of the protest had been given to the Delhi Police on October 9.ANI Inputs