# Meta removes protest posts as Centre steps up content blocks 2026-08-17T03:46:38+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Instagram posts by political leaders, parties, and protesters are being rapidly removed after meetings between Meta and the Union government, The Hindu reports. The Indian Youth Congress, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das, and Scroll.in have had posts blocked in India. Screenshots of blocked posts cite the IT Rules, 2021, indicating takedowns through a formal mechanism. Nearly 1.95 lakh directions for content removal from Meta platforms and YouTube were issued between March and July, averaging one order every 68 seconds, according to Indian Express data reported by Mathrubhumi. The surge coincided with student protests in Delhi over alleged examination leaks, which ended after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. Students relied on social media for coordination, as mainstream media gave limited coverage. The Sahyog portal, run by the Home Ministry, processes many takedown requests. The Software Freedom Law Centre said the portal bypasses safeguards under Section 69A of the IT Act. Meta has apologised for temporarily removing PM Modi's post and faced government notices over child sexual abuse material in ads. Meta did not respond to a request for comment. ## Coverage - thehindu.com - english.mathrubhumi.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-18T04:26:49+00:00. Tags: Arvind Kejriwal, Instagram, IT Rules 2021, Meta, Saurav Das, Union government Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/meta-blocks-instagram-posts-of-politicians-activists-in-india/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/meta-blocks-instagram-posts-of-politicians-activists-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/