The Parliamentary Committee on Communications and Information Technology has reportedly asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to apologise within three days over the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's July 23 video from Facebook. The panel also warned that failure to act against those responsible could have legal consequences.
Panel warns Meta over video removal
The committee, headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, described the temporary deletion of the Prime Minister's video as an "attack on democracy". It said the issue goes beyond a single social media post because it involved content published by the country's elected Prime Minister.
Per a report by NDTV, the panel said, "If Facebook does not take action against those responsible in this matter, the Safe Harbor Clause will be removed. Mark Zuckerberg will have to apologise. Otherwise, a case may be filed."
Video was later restored
The video, first uploaded on Instagram and later shared on Facebook, featured Prime Minister Modi addressing Gen Z through his first direct selfie video. In the message, he promised strict action against paper leaks during the student protests led by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
The Facebook version of the video was briefly restricted before being restored.
The temporary removal triggered criticism, following which Meta reinstated the post. The parliamentary panel has now sought an apology from Zuckerberg and has called for action against those responsible for the incident within the stipulated three-day period.