India panel warns Meta over Modi video removal

An Indian parliamentary panel has called for Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg to apologize for temporarily removing a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Facebook and Instagram. The video, which addressed students during youth-led protests on July 23, was briefly taken down but later restored. The parliamentary committee on communications and information technology, led by Nishikant Dubey, blamed Meta for the deletion, stating "Deleting the prime minister's video was not the work of an intermediary, but that of a publisher."

Dubey demanded Zuckerberg apologize within three days. Meta's chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, met with India's Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and apologized for the error. India's parliamentary standing committees can scrutinize government policies and summon officials, but cannot impose penalties or direct prosecutions.

Any action against Meta would have to be taken by the government or courts under existing law. The video was posted during protests led by the online Cockroach Janta Party, which began in New Delhi over exam irregularities but grew into a broader movement against Modi's increasingly authoritarian rule.