Meta India Head Booked Over Alleged Objectionable Posts Targeting PM Modi During CJP Protests
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police have registered a case against Meta India Head Arun Srinivas and several Facebook and Instagram accounts over the alleged circulation of objectionable and digitally manipulated content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) student protests.
The case was filed following complaints from two individuals who claimed they came across multiple morphed videos and edited images of the Prime Minister while browsing Instagram. According to the complaints, the content portrayed the Prime Minister in an obscene, derogatory and misleading manner and was accompanied by abusive and offensive comments that were widely shared across social media platforms.
Complainants S. Aravind Reddy, a businessman, and T. Saikiran Goud, a Telangana BJP activist, alleged that many of the posts appeared to have been digitally altered or created using artificial intelligence. They argued that such content had the potential to spread misinformation, mislead the public, damage the reputation of public figures, provoke hostility, and disturb public order.
The complaints further stated that the offensive comments encouraged greater engagement with the content, increasing its reach and impact during the student protests. Authorities are now examining several social media posts and comments that allegedly crossed the line into abusive and profane language.
The development comes just days after Meta faced criticism from the Central government when a video shared from Prime Minister Modi’s official account was briefly blocked on Facebook. Following the incident, the company reportedly assured the government that additional safeguards would be introduced for posts from the Prime Minister’s official accounts.
According to sources, Meta has informed the government that content involving high-profile accounts will now undergo stricter internal review. Any moderation decision related to such accounts will reportedly require approval from senior company officials and will be subject to multiple levels of verification before action is taken.
Sources also said that Meta representatives are expected to meet government officials later this week to discuss content moderation policies, platform accountability and other regulatory concerns.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police have also taken action in connection with social media activity linked to the recent student protests. Authorities issued notices to several social media accounts, including some news portals, directing them to remove posts and videos containing allegedly abusive remarks against the Prime Minister that were shared during demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and the July 20 “Sansad Chalo” march.
The investigation by Hyderabad Cybercrime Police is currently underway, and officials are examining the role of the accounts involved, the origin of the alleged content, and whether any legal violations were committed under applicable laws.
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
