Parliamentary Panel Grills Meta Over Prime Minister Modi Post Removal

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology strongly censured Meta representatives on August 3, 2026, for the temporary removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Facebook video message. Chaired by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, the panel dismissed Meta's explanation of a technical error and demanded strict accountability and legal action regarding the restriction of the official post concerning the NEET examination.

The controversy emerged after a video message from Prime Minister Modi addressing examination paper leaks was briefly restricted on Facebook in late July, displaying legal removal notices to Indian users. During the session, committee members questioned Meta officials on the prolonged four-hour takedown, systemic audit trails, and the underlying failures of automated content moderation algorithms governing high-profile political accounts.

Beyond the Prime Minister's post, the parliamentary panel addressed systemic digital threats, highlighting that approximately 28.15 lakh cybercrime complaints involving financial losses of ₹22,495 crore were recorded in 2025. Committee members demanded uniform compliance reporting for online fraud, tighter controls against deepfakes, and robust safeguards to prevent child safety violations across major technology platforms.