An Indian parliamentary committee has called on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to apologise over the temporary removal of a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, escalating scrutiny of the social media giant’s content moderation practices in one of its largest global markets.
The demand follows the brief removal of a video posted by Modi on Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta. The company later restored the video, stating that its removal was the result of a technical error.
Parliamentary Committee Demands Explanation
The call for an apology came from Nishikant Dubey, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology and a lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Dubey argued that the removal of the prime minister’s video should not be viewed as the action of a neutral intermediary.
He warned that Mark Zuckerberg should apologise within three days and said the committee had written to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology seeking action on the matter.
Meta Says Removal Was a Technical Error
Meta has maintained that the temporary takedown was caused by a technical issue and not by a deliberate moderation decision.
As of the time of publication, the company had not publicly responded to the parliamentary committee’s latest demands or to media requests for additional comment.
The video has since been restored to both Facebook and Instagram.
Committee’s Powers and Possible Action
India’s parliamentary standing committees are responsible for examining government policies and may summon public officials or company representatives to provide explanations on matters within their jurisdiction.
However, the committees cannot directly impose penalties, revoke legal protections, or initiate prosecutions.
Any regulatory or legal action against an online platform would need to be taken by the Indian government or the courts under existing laws.
According to Indian media reports, Meta officials have been summoned to explain the circumstances surrounding the video’s temporary removal.
#WATCH | Delhi: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey says, “…We wrote to the Ministry of IT and the Ministry of Home Affairs stating that deleting the Prime Minister’s video was not the responsibility of an intermediary but that of a publisher. Therefore, Mark Zuckerberg must apologize… pic.twitter.com/TlQ9vUIH11
— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2026
Background to the Video
Prime Minister Modi posted the vertical-format video on July 23, addressing students during a period of youth-led protests that began over alleged examination irregularities and later expanded to include concerns about employment opportunities and governance.
In the video, Modi assured students that the government would introduce stricter measures and tougher penalties to prevent examination paper leaks.
The video also marked one of the prime minister’s early efforts to communicate with younger audiences through Instagram’s vertical video format.
India Remains Meta’s Largest User Market
India is Meta’s largest market by number of users, with hundreds of millions of people using Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The latest controversy highlights the increasing scrutiny faced by global technology companies over content moderation decisions in major markets, where questions surrounding platform accountability, freedom of expression, and regulatory oversight continue to attract significant political and public attention.
At the time of publication, Meta had not issued any further statement beyond its explanation that the video’s temporary removal resulted from a technical error.
