AAP Chief Alleges Meta Restricted His Account; Sources Say Action Limited To A Post
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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has alleged that Meta restricted his Instagram account in India without providing an explanation, urging the social media giant not to “bow down” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a post on X, Kejriwal tagged Meta and Meta India, claiming that his account had become unavailable in India and that repeated attempts to seek an explanation from the company had gone unanswered.
“Why have you restricted my account? Verbal enquiries at your India office revealed that my account has been restricted in India and is unavailable in India. Why? No one in your office is giving any reasons. No one is suggesting how restrictions can be removed,” he wrote.
Kejriwal later shared a video claiming that Instagram had informed him that his account had been “suppressed” and “restricted” in India.
“I called them and tried to find out why they did it, but no one told me anything. I asked them how to fix it, but no one told me anything. I wrote them an email, but they didn’t reply,” he said.
He further claimed that several users had reached out to him after he raised the issue, alleging that their accounts had also been restricted. Kejriwal alleged that the government was pressuring Meta to suppress accounts critical of the PM Modi, including those raising issues such as ethanol policy and paper leaks.
However, Meta India sources told Inc42 that Kejriwal’s account remains visible in India and there is no account-level restriction.
According to the sources, the screenshot shared by Kejriwal indicates that Meta took action against a specific post rather than his entire account. The notification itself states that action had been taken on a particular piece of content and specifies the reason for doing so, suggesting that the restriction was limited to that post.
Meta did not respond to Inc42’s queries seeking clarification on the issue.
Meta Under Intensifying Scrutiny In India
The latest controversy comes as Meta faces mounting scrutiny over its content moderation practices in India.
Earlier this week, several WhatsApp users reported that their accounts had been placed under review without prior notice. While Meta said it was reviewing account activity and device information to ensure compliance with its ‘Terms of Service’, some users claimed their accounts remained inaccessible or were permanently banned without a clear explanation.
Separately, Meta is facing investigations over allegations that advertisements on its platforms promoted child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM). The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have initiated separate inquiries into the matter.
The scrutiny has also intensified following the temporary removal of PM Modi’s Facebook video. During a recent meeting with MeitY, Meta officials apologised for issues related to CSAM content, deepfakes and operational errors on the platform, according to ANI.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology had also sought an “unqualified apology” from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the removal of the prime minister’s video and warned that the company’s safe harbour protections under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act could be reconsidered.
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