Now Reading: Instagram restricts cartoonist Satish Acharya’s account in India
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Instagram restricts cartoonist Satish Acharya’s account in India
Corrected 30 September 2026: caption quote and analysis.
The Story in Brief
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 The Kerala Cartoon Academy has protested the restrictions, calling them a curbing of criticism and demanding they be withdrawn.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 The Kerala Cartoon Academy protested and demanded the bans be withdrawn.
Update, 2 October 2026: Scroll reports that Acharya told the outlet he had not received any communication from Meta before his posts were taken down, and later received a notification that his profile would be unavailable in India. He said he was trying to challenge the action but could not contact Instagram’s help centre, calling the only solution a legal route which was not affordable for him. Scroll also reports that cartoonists Rachita Taneja, Sandeep Adhwaryu, Sajith Kumar and Ashish Bagchi have responded with their own cartoons, saying satire must remain free.
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 Mathrubhumi, which carries PTI inputs, leads with the Kerala Cartoon Academy's call for the restriction to be withdrawn and sets the episode against the Indian Express report on objections inside the poll panel over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.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: 5 sources, 2 government-critical, 3 neutral
Sources (5): english.mathrubhumi.com (government critical), siasat.com (government critical), hindustantimes.com (neutral report), scroll.in (neutral report), scroll.in (2) (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
