# Instagram restricts cartoonist Satish Acharya’s account in India 2026-09-29T22:58:19+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Instagram has restricted access in India to the account of political cartoonist Satish Acharya, citing legal requirements under the IT Rules. The restriction came after Acharya posted cartoons on the Election Commission and its electoral roll revision decisions. Cartoonist Manjul also reported a similar restriction on one of his EC cartoons. Acharya shared on X Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2018 remarks praising cartoonists. Mathrubhumi quotes his caption as "Wah Modiji Wah! #BlockSarkar", while Siasat gives it as "Bravo, Modiji, Bravo #BlockSarkar". The Kerala Cartoon Academy has protested the restrictions, calling them a curbing of criticism and demanding they be withdrawn. The Election Commission has said its decisions on the electoral roll revision were unanimous. Update, 30 September 2026: Hindustan Times reports that the message on Acharya’s Instagram page said the restriction was temporary, and that Meta has not issued a separate statement. Acharya said on X some cartoons from 2023 were also being blocked, writing ‘Darr ke aage jeet nahi hai, Saheb!’ The Kerala Cartoon Academy protested and demanded the bans be withdrawn. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both outlets report the same core facts: Instagram restricted Satish Acharya's account in India under the IT Rules after his cartoons on the Election Commission, and Manjul reported a restriction on his own Election Commission work. Mathrubhumi, which carries PTI inputs, leads with the Kerala Cartoon Academy's call for the restriction to be withdrawn and sets the episode against the Indian Express report on objections inside the poll panel over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Siasat leads with Acharya's own reaction on X, including his remark that he had never seen a government "SO SCARED of cartoons", and reports that several digital cartoonists had their handles restricted. Mathrubhumi also reports, citing Reuters, that the poll panel has begun a review of its voter-roll software, the next development in the dispute behind the cartoons. Corrected 30 September 2026: caption quote and analysis. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 2 government-critical, 1 neutral - english.mathrubhumi.com (government critical) Leads with institutional protest and electoral roll controversy, framing as systemic issue - siasat.com (government critical) Leads with cartoonist's sarcasm and personal criticism of government - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Neutral-report on the same facts as the previous version This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Election Commission of India, Instagram, IT Rules 2021, Kerala Cartoon Academy, Satish Acharya Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/instagram-restricts-cartoonist-satish-acharyas-account-in-india/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/instagram-restricts-cartoonist-satish-acharyas-account-in-india/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/