The government has summoned Meta’s global head of public policy after a video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefly removed from Facebook in India, government sources said. The video had been uploaded on July 23, at the height of the Cockroach Janta Party’s protests over leaked exam papers. It went missing from public view in the early hours of Tuesday.
In the video, Modi assured protesters his government would pass a tougher law with stricter penalties for those found guilty of paper leaks. “Friends, I am well aware that the issue of paper leaks is not a small matter.
It causes immense distress to lakhs of students and their parents. Consequently, numerous measures have been taken over the past two-and-a-half months following these incidents. The culprits have been apprehended and are currently in jail,” he said.
He went on to say that departments had worked late into the night on a draft proposal, one that included fast-track courts and stricter penalties. This proposal would be taken up in Cabinet the next day and pushed through Parliament as quickly as possible.
What actually happened to the video
According to media reports, Facebook initially restricted the video following what appeared to be a legal request. Around 1:25 am on Tuesday, users trying to access the post saw a “See Why” notice stating the content had been restricted in India in response to a legal request. However, the notice did not specify which legal provision had been invoked or which authority had made the request.
Meta’s own explanation told a different story. “The content was removed in error and has since been restored,” a Meta spokesperson said, describing it as a technical glitch rather than an intentional moderation decision.
Sources said Meta also issued an apology for the removal of the roughly three-minute video. The video had gathered millions of views over four days.
Queries sent to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology went unanswered at the time of publication.
A video built for the Instagram generation
Shot vertically in the short-form style popular on platforms like Instagram, the video was widely seen as an attempt by Modi to speak directly to young people amid the protests.
The timing lined up with a broader surge in his social media presence. Modi crossed 105 million followers on Instagram this month, adding four million new followers in a single week. Additionally, his latest reel reportedly set a record for the most-viewed reel within 24 hours of posting.
The removal drew swift criticism from BJP figures. Party leader Tajinder Bagga wrote on X that “Facebook has crossed every limit,” questioning who had given “this foreign platform” the authority to decide what Indians are allowed to see of their prime minister.
This isn’t the government’s only recent friction with social media platforms over content tied to the CJP protests. After the demonstrations wound down following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Education Minister, the government branded some videos and photographs of the agitation objectionable.
It ordered them removed from platforms including Facebook. Among them was content the government said carried derogatory references to senior officials.
Curated news reports, in-depth analysis, and special features by India’s Opinion editorial team.
