Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first selfie-style video addressing Gen Z during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led student protests was briefly restricted on Meta-owned Facebook in India before being restored within hours.
According to reports, at around 1:25 am on Tuesday, users who clicked the "See Why" option were shown a message stating that the content had been restricted in India in compliance with a legal request.
BJP leader Tajinder Bagga reacted to the development on X, alleging that Facebook had blocked the Prime Minister's post on strict action against paper leaks from being viewed in India. He questioned who had authorised the platform to restrict the post and demanded that Meta disclose whose legal request it had complied with.
The notice did not identify the authority behind the request, cite any legal provision, or mention a case number. The video, which had already garnered millions of views, was restored within hours. Meta is yet to issue a detailed statement explaining the temporary restriction.
Three selfie-style videos
Within 72 hours, PM Modi released three informal, vertical selfie-style videos aimed at engaging directly with India's Gen Z.
In the first video, he said the Centre had taken stringent action following the paper leak controversy, including arresting the accused, ensuring students did not lose an academic year, and preparing legislation to fast-track cases related to examination leaks.
In the second, he thanked young people for their "insightful suggestions" and positive response to his earlier message.
The third video, released on Sunday, outlined measures to strengthen India's examination system, including the formation of a high-powered task force headed by technology expert Nandan Nilekani to make exams more transparent, reliable and technology-driven.
Record-breaking Instagram Reel
The temporary Facebook restriction drew attention because the same video remained available on Instagram and, according to reports, crossed 303 million views within 24 hours, becoming the platform's most-viewed Reel over that period. It also reportedly helped the Prime Minister gain nearly one million followers overnight.
In the video, Modi described paper leaks as "extremely painful for lakhs of students and their guardians," said those responsible had been arrested, and announced plans to introduce legislation establishing fast-track courts for examination leak cases.
Questions over Meta's moderation
The incident has renewed scrutiny of Meta's content moderation practices. Previous reports and observations by Meta's Oversight Board have highlighted concerns over transparency in automated moderation decisions, including the need to clearly explain why content is restricted and what role artificial intelligence plays in such actions.
Some reports have suggested the temporary restriction may have resulted from an error in Meta's automated moderation system.
Unanswered questions
The incident has raised several questions: Who issued the reported legal request? Under which provision of Indian law was it made? Why was the restriction applied on Facebook but not Instagram, where the same video remained available?
Social media giant Meta on Tuesday apologised after a selfie video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing student protesters was briefly removed from Facebook before being restored.
According to sources, the video was removed due to a technical glitch. The government is looking into the incident and has summoned top Meta executives to explain the temporary takedown.
In a statement, a Meta spokesperson said, "The content was removed in error and has since been restored."
Sources said the government is taking the incident "very seriously". The Ministry of Information and Technology has already sent summons to the global heads of Meta and Instagram.
