Fact Check: No, X Is Not Censoring 'Dharmendra Pradhan'; It's A Unicode Text Effect Anyone Can Use

Claims that X is censoring Dharmendra Pradhan's name are misleading. The viral glitched text is simply Zalgo, a Unicode formatting style anyone can generate and use online.

Viral glitched "Dharmendra" text isn't X censorship but a widely available Unicode formatting effect anyone can use.

Source : Screenshot/X

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Unusual
• Zalgo text, Unicode styling, not platform censorship.
• Claims arose amid protests against Education Minister Pradhan.
• Users generate Zalgo text with online tools easily.

A bizarre version of the word "Dharmendra" filled with unusual symbols has flooded X (formerly Twitter), triggering claims that the platform is suppressing posts mentioning Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The speculation has spread rapidly as discussions around the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests continue to dominate social media. However, there is no evidence suggesting that X is censoring the minister's name.

The distorted text seen in these posts is not generated by the platform itself. Instead, it is created using a long-established Unicode styling technique popularly known as Zalgo text. Often referred to as glitch text or cursed text, the effect can be applied to virtually any word or phrase and works across multiple digital platforms.

It's simple D̵̠̞̗̮͔͖̰̪̎͗̔́h̶̼̘̟̓͊̄̔a̸̺͇͖͙̦͍͚̥͉͂̋̉̓̔̀͜ͅr̸̝̬̣̈́̈́͛̇̽͛̿͐̕̕͜ṁ̸͕̯̪̠̇̉̆̌̋̋͆̽̊̑̾̓͝͠ê̷̢̟͇̻̞͉̭̘̺̝̹̱̼̱̩̟̜̫̘n̴̦͈͖̞͋̑ḑ̸̨͇͓̞͔͉̳̟̱͔̰͈̺̥̑̿͐̍̽̎͊̑̔̾̀͆̉̊͗̕͜͝ͅŗ̸̨̳̟̙̰̱͈͚͍͇̦͇̮̯͕̞̀̑͊̇̈͐̏́̾̃̀͋̊̚̕͝ḁ̵̇̃̔̌̐͗̈́̉̊̓̚͘͝…

— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) July 23, 2026

Why Users Mistook Text For Censorship

The confusion surfaced at a time when Dharmendra Pradhan's name has become one of the most searched and discussed topics online. Thousands of students and young supporters associated with the Cockroach Janta Party have been protesting, demanding the Education Minister's resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy and wider concerns related to examination reforms.

As screenshots showing a heavily distorted version of "Dharmendra" circulated online, some users concluded that X was automatically masking the minister's name. Those claims quickly gained traction, adding to speculation that the platform had introduced a form of keyword censorship.

However, available technical information does not support that theory. Cybersecurity experts and Unicode documentation indicate that the unusual appearance is simply the result of a special text formatting technique rather than any platform intervention.

What Exactly Is Zalgo Text?

Zalgo text is created by attaching multiple Unicode combining characters to standard letters. These combining marks are typically designed for accents and diacritical symbols used in various languages. When a large number of them are layered onto individual letters, the text appears broken, corrupted or glitched while remaining perfectly valid Unicode.

The style has existed since the mid-2000s and first gained popularity through internet horror memes before becoming a decorative text effect used across online communities.

Because it relies on Unicode rather than platform-specific code, the same effect can be applied to any name, sentence or hashtag without requiring any special software.

Anyone Can Generate The Same Effect

The viral posts are not unique to X. Several free online tools, including Zalgo.org, allow users to generate the same distorted text within seconds. After converting ordinary text into the glitched format, users can simply copy and paste it into X, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Discord or nearly any other platform that supports Unicode characters.

This means the strange-looking versions of "Dharmendra" circulating online are not evidence that X is filtering or modifying posts. They are examples of a long-standing Unicode text style that can be applied to virtually any word, making the effect available to anyone regardless of the platform they use.

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