From war to LPG crisis, criticism is not tolerated! Accounts of those writing against PM Modi and the government suspended

X Accounts Withheld India: Several X (formerly Twitter) handles criticizing the central government have been blocked in India. These include the accounts of journalist and activist Sandeep Singh, popular parody account, Manish RJ and Dr. Ranjan. The message now appears on all of these pages: “This account has been blocked in India in response to a legal request.”

However, it is not yet clear what is the exact reason behind these orders. These accounts have often taken a critical view through their posts and satirical cartoons on the central government’s treatment of minorities, Israel-US attack on Iran, LPG crisis in India and other sensitive issues.

Increase in account restrictions

According to recent reports, users are receiving generic notices like ‘Blocked in India’ or emails under Section 69A of the IT Act, often without a clear reason. Independent reporting has revealed that the removed content includes political, satirical and critical posts, even though these are not explicitly illegal.

This latest action has been criticized by many journalists, politicians and users on X. Prateek Waghare, a public policy researcher and former executive director of the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), said there has been an increase in account restrictions on X. He wrote that it seems we are seeing a new wave of restrictions/suspension and 42 instances have been reported so far.

Action against those criticizing Modi or the government

Especially in recent times, action against accounts criticizing Prime Minister Modi or the government has intensified. This includes developments like PM’s visit to Israel, silence on attacks on Iran, assassination of Iranian leadership and sinking of Iranian naval ship in US attack near India.

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Internet Freedom Foundation has expressed concern over this and said that there are continuous reports of blocking of posts and accounts in India. IFF specifically said: “Reports of posts and accounts being blocked in India on Facebook, X and Instagram, including those critical of the government and satire, are worrying.”