Modi govt orders X to block over 8,000 accounts in India
New Delhi: The Indian government has ordered social media platform X to block over 8,000 accounts within the country. Despite its disagreement with the directive, X said it has begun complying with the order.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Elon Musk-run platform’s announcement comes as some journalists and news organizations had their X accounts withheld in India in response to the BJP government’s legal demands. In a statement, X’s Global Government Affairs department said that in most of the blocking orders issued, the Indian government did not specify which posts violated local laws. It added: “For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block the accounts.”
“We disagree with the Indian government’s demands,” X said, even as it noted that it will withhold the accounts concerned in India in order to comply with the orders. “Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech,” the company added.
The X account of Maktoob Media, a digital news, is one of several withheld in India. Its editor, Aslah Kayyalakkath, called the move an assault on press freedom. Writing on X, he said, “We have no knowledge of the reason for the government’s arbitrary action … Maktoob pledges to continue its crucial work at a time when truth is becoming a casualty.” He also said that while the reason for the ban is unclear, he has received at least 50 threat calls over Maktoob’s coverage of the hate speech and revenge attacks against Muslims and Kashmiri students. “We covered over 64 hate speeches, and reported on hate attacks and lynchings—including the lynching of a Muslim man in Mangalore,” he said. The man, falsely accused of chanting pro-Pakistan slogans, was in fact killed for drinking water belonging to an upper-caste man, Aslah added.
Other accounts withheld in India include those of Muzzamil Jaleel, deputy editor at The Indian Express, Anuradha Bhasin, a senior journalist based in Kashmir, news outlets like Kashmiryat, and influencer Arpit Sharma, known for his videos on social issues.
Force, an India-based magazine that covers defence and aerospace, wrote on X that a recent video posted by editor Pravin Sawhney has been withheld in India. “Blocking media that raises questions does not increase the credibility of the message the government wants to communicate at this critical juncture. It only raises more doubts,” its statement said.
Influencer Arpit Sharma feels that there’s a pattern of selective targeting at play. “I made videos against misinformation, asked questions on security lapses, spoke against communal politics post-Pahalgam,” he said.
