Meta India Head Booked Over Derogatory Social Media Posts on PM Modi

Hyderabad cybercrime police have registered cases against the head of Meta India and several social media users for allegedly distributing derogatory content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first information reports were filed following complaints from local businessman S. Aravind Reddy and Telangana BJP activist T. Saikiran Goud, concerning Facebook videos and posts related to recent student protests by the Chhatra Juba Parishad. The charges include promoting enmity and making statements prejudicial to national integration, marking a major escalation in legal scrutiny for tech executives in India.

Parallel to the police investigation, the Union Government and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology have expressed serious concerns regarding algorithmic bias on Meta’s platforms. Officials noted that certain content moderation policies appear to disproportionately restrict or promote specific political viewpoints. MeitY has summoned Meta’s global team to explain these issues and the role of their platforms in maintaining public order, amid allegations that the platform failed to take down inflammatory content while restricting legitimate government communications.

In a separate incident, 15-year-old Ruchika Singh issued a public apology after being booked for raising abusive slogans against the Prime Minister during a NEET protest. Her viral apology highlights the heavy influence of crowds and intense protest atmospheres on minors. These concurrent events underscore the intense government pressure on social media companies to be proactive in removing content that incites unrest, setting a stringent precedent for corporate accountability and digital speech in India.