New Delhi, July 28:
Social media giant Meta has apologised after a selfie-style video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefly removed from Facebook, with the Centre taking the incident seriously and summoning the company’s global leadership.
According to sources, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued notices to the global heads of Meta and Instagram, seeking an explanation for the temporary takedown. The government views the episode as a matter of concern, particularly given the nature and timing of the content.
Meta, in a statement, said the video was removed due to a technical error and was later restored. “The content was removed in error and has since been reinstated,” a spokesperson said.
The video, posted shortly after midnight last Thursday, featured the Prime Minister addressing students amid nationwide protests over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy. In the clip, Modi acknowledged the distress caused by exam irregularities and assured students that strict action had been taken against those responsible.
He also emphasised that the government prioritised ensuring that students did not lose an academic year, noting that exams for over 22 lakh aspirants were conducted without delay.
The digital address, aimed at reaching younger audiences directly, had gone viral amid heightened student protests across the country. The brief removal of the video has now sparked a fresh debate over content moderation and platform accountability.