# Kharge accuses Centre of 1.95 lakh social media blocking orders 2026-08-18T19:17:26+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday accused the Modi government of censorship after it reportedly issued 1.95 lakh blocking orders on social media posts in five months. In a post on X, Kharge said the orders disproportionately target students, journalists, and citizens critical of the government, comparing the action to lathicharge and pellet guns used against youth. Kharge claimed the blocking orders were issued at a rate of one every 68 seconds, mostly against students and youth who protested demanding accountability on issues like the NEET paper leak. He alleged that while critical voices are systematically erased, ruling party supporters face no consequences for doxxing women or issuing threats online. Media reports cited by Kharge say the government slashed takedown time to three hours and automated censorship, with over half the orders sent to Instagram between March and July. The government has not yet responded to the allegations. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Federal's report is a straight wire copy from PTI, presenting Kharge's allegations without independent verification or government rebuttal. It frames the story entirely from the opposition's perspective, with no official response included, which tilts the coverage toward government-critical. A careful reader should note the lack of government comment, meaning the figures and claims are one-sided. The key detail to watch is whether the government issues a denial or clarification on the blocking order numbers and procedures. ## Coverage Coverage: 1 source, 1 government-critical - thefederal.com (government critical) Leads with Kharge's unopposed allegations, no government response This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: censorship, IT Ministry, Mallikarjun Kharge, Narendra Modi, social media Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kharge-accuses-centre-of-1-95-lakh-social-media-blocking-orders/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kharge-accuses-centre-of-1-95-lakh-social-media-blocking-orders/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report 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. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/