Home Ministry Orders GitHub Takedown of Offline Mesh App Bitchat Used at CJP Protest

India's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), has requested software platform GitHub to take down repository pages hosting source code and distribution files for Bitchat, an offline Bluetooth mesh messaging application backed by former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey.

The regulatory action follows the widespread adoption of the P2P communication tool by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demonstrators and university students gathered at Jantar Mantar during localized mobile internet shutdowns enforced around central Delhi.

Bluetooth Mesh Communication Under Cellular Blackout

Bitchat relies on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh technology, allowing mobile devices to route encrypted text messages directly from phone to phone without requiring cellular networks, Wi-Fi connectivity, central servers, or SIM registration. Developed as an open-source project by developers associated with the Nostr protocol and funded by Jack Dorsey, the app gained rapid traction among student organizers facing mobile data suspensions.

Demonstrators at Jantar Mantar utilized the tool to coordinate medical support, water distribution, and crowd management across Tolstoy Marg and surrounding barricades when mobile towers were deactivated.

On Friday, July 24, Jack Dorsey publicly shared details of the MHA takedown notice on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting government demands targeting the open-source software repository.

"The govt of India is making demands for this tech to be shut down." — Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder and technology investor

What we can verify

• Takedown notice issued: The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs sent a formal notice requesting GitHub to remove repositories hosting Bitchat source code and installation packages (ThePrint).
• Off-grid functionality: Ground reporting confirms student protesters at Jantar Mantar used Bitchat's Bluetooth mesh feature to maintain peer-to-peer communication during local mobile data blackouts (ThePrint, Khabargaon).
• Public disclosure: Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey published screenshots of the government requisition on X on July 24, 2026 (ThePrint).
• No central servers: Bitchat architecture contains no centralized server database or registered account system, functioning strictly via short-range device-to-device relays (ThePrint).

What remains unverified

• Exact GitHub compliance status: Whether GitHub has permanently restricted access to the Bitchat repository for IP addresses within India: [unverified].
• Specific legal clause: The exact statutory provisions or security risk assessments cited by I4C in the formal notice: [unverified].
• Direct APK distribution: Extent of secondary distribution via peer-to-peer APK file transfers among demonstrators independent of GitHub: [unverified].