New Delhi: Meta has apologised after a video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his official Facebook page was briefly taken offline due to a technical glitch, clarifying that the incident was not linked to any government directive or content moderation action.
The issue came to light on Tuesday when users reported that the Prime Minister’s video was no longer accessible on Facebook. During the brief disruption, some users were shown a notice stating that the content had been restricted in India following a “legal request”, leading to confusion on social media.
The video, which featured Prime Minister Modi’s first direct message to Generation Z amid the ongoing Congress-backed CJP student protests, had gained significant traction online. In the address, the Prime Minister spoke about the NEET paper leak controversy and outlined the government’s response to the issue.
According to government sources, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sought an explanation from Meta over the temporary removal. Reports indicate that senior representatives of Meta and Instagram have been asked to clarify how content published on the Prime Minister’s verified account became unavailable, even for a short period.
Responding to the incident, Meta said the video’s removal resulted from an internal technical error and emphasised that it was neither intentional nor connected to any legal request or policy-based enforcement.
Before the interruption, the video had recorded more than 303 million views within 24 hours, making it one of the most-viewed posts shared by the Prime Minister on social media.
The temporary removal has drawn attention as digital platforms continue to face scrutiny over content management and regulatory compliance in India. While Meta has acknowledged the technical error and apologised, the government is expected to seek a detailed account of the circumstances that led to the incident.
