India investigates foreign interference in social media protests

Indian security agencies are investigating a surge in suspicious social media activity linked to the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) movement and protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Intelligence assessments suggest potential foreign interference, with over 5,000 accounts suspected of being operated from Pakistan to spread misinformation and incite violence.

Investigators have identified thousands of posts and hundreds of accounts allegedly linked to external actors in locations such as Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Sialkot. These accounts are reportedly used to circulate unverified claims regarding police actions against demonstrators to provoke unrest. The Intelligence Bureau has noted that the operation exploits the time gap between the spread of false claims and their subsequent debunking.

Authorities are also scrutinizing the funding of the CJP movement. Due to the absence of official bank accounts for the organization, tracing the movement’s financial sources—which reportedly include both cash and material support—has proven difficult. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and state cyber units are currently analyzing the origins and content of these digital activities to determine the extent of the threat to public order.