Censorship Surge in India Undermines Independent Journalism

The Hindu

10-05-2025

Published : May 10, 2025 16:29 IST - 8 MINS READ
On May 8, the prominent social media platform X said it was forced to block more than 8,000 accounts in India following executive orders from the government. Those affected by the ban told Frontline that it 'blatantly violates the law of the land' and that the 'irrational censorship sets a bad precedent for free speech in a democracy'.
During heightened tensions between India and Pakistan—the two nuclear neighbours and arch-rivals—several leading web portals, YouTube channels, and individual X handles have been suspended. Among the foremost portals whose X accounts remain withheld include Maktoob Media and BBC Urdu.
In the case of the online news portal The Wire, the website was blocked on May 9 on the government's orders. According to an internet service provider, The Wire was 'blocked as per the order of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IT Act, 2000'. Later in the day, the website was again accessible to readers after over 12 hours had passed. The Wire then issued a statement wherein it said that according to the response they received from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), the website had been blocked on the basis of a request regarding a piece citing a CNN report on the ongoing India-Pakistan border tensions. While The Wire stated that it had removed the said piece from public view, it added that it would present its case in front of the designated authority and reserved its right 'to challenge this unconstitutional attack on freedom of press'.
Siddharth Varadarajan, founding editor of The Wire, on May 9 said: 'We protest this blatant censorship at a critical time for India when sane, truthful, fair and rational voices and sources of news and information are among the biggest assets that India has.' He accused India's major television news channels of indulging in 'fake news' and 'dangerous reporting' in sensitive times. He added that The Wire has been 'one of the largest Indian news platforms that has been reporting on the emerging situation with responsibility and restraint. The blocking order is unconstitutional. It is an attack on press freedom and on the right of every Indian to access information.'
Individual journalists also targeted
Besides this, individual accounts of senior journalists such as Anuradha Bhasin and Muzamil Jaleel have been made inoperative with effect from May 9.
Anuradha Bhasin, who originally hails from Jammu, is the managing editor of Kashmir Times, an English-language newspaper that was earlier published from both Srinagar and Jammu, and the author of A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir After Article 370 (2022). Bhasin, who currently lives in the US, said that the blocking of her X handle in India 'came as a huge surprise'.
'It is shocking. The scale at which the voices are disappearing is distressing. Mostly, those banned are the sane voices and professional journalists who sift fact from fiction. But those who sensationalise and further amplify the fake narratives during sensitive times are enjoying the government's patronage,' Bhasin told Frontline. She articulated that during war hysteria, it is critically important to have voices of reasons and restraint, not sensationalism.
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According to X, it received executive orders from the Indian government requiring the social media platform to 'block over 8,000 accounts in India, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company's local employees. The orders include demands to block access in India to accounts belonging to international news organizations and prominent X users.' It further said that, in most cases, 'the Indian government has not specified which posts from an account have violated India's local laws. For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block the accounts. To comply with the orders, we will withhold the specified accounts in India alone. We have begun that process. However, we disagree with the Indian government's demands.'
The Wire is not the only major platform to face suspension. At the time of writing this piece, BBC Urdu's account on X (@BBCUrdu) was also withheld. Shockingly, even the Global Affairs account of X was temporarily suspended only a day after it became known that the government had ordered the platform to block over 8,000 accounts. When X users tried to access these accounts, they could only see a blank screen that read 'Account Withheld'.
X has received executive orders from the Indian government requiring X to block over 8,000 accounts in India, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company's local employees. The orders include demands to block access in India to… — Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) May 8, 2025
'Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech. This is not an easy decision, however keeping the platform accessible in India is vital to Indians' ability to access information,' X Global Affairs said in a statement, adding it believes that 'making these executive orders public is essential for transparency – lack of disclosure discourages accountability and can contribute to arbitrary decision making. However, due to legal restrictions, we are unable to publish the executive orders at this time. X is exploring all possible legal avenues available to the company.' X encouraged all those adversely impacted by these blocking orders to 'seek appropriate relief from the courts'.
Prevailing atmosphere of censorship
Another victim of this censorship was Maktoob Media, a news platform that extensively covers stories of the minorities. On May 8, the X account of Maktoob Media was made inoperative. Shaheen Abdullah, the deputy editor of the organisation, told Frontline that the ban 'blatantly violates the law of the land and the whole idea of free media. It is an attempt to muzzle and choke independent media outlets. Moreover, it is a sign how press freedom is deteriorating in India.'
In terms of press freedom, India ranks at 151 out of 180 countries as per the 2025 World Press Freedom Index released by the Paris-based organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Similarly, the US-based Freedom House in its 2025 report (titled 'Freedom in the World 2025') said that in terms of Global Freedom and Internet Freedom, India remains 'partly free', scoring 63 and 50 points respectively out of 100.
Abdullah was of the view that the government had either already prepared a list of journalists, media outlets, and YouTube channels or used any specific AI tool to get data about major independent and credible media outlets and individuals that it intended to block. 'We did not receive any prior notification explaining the reasons behind the decision. It is a dangerous precedent. Imagine, we are not able to report facts. Everything is controlled,' Abdullah told Frontline, adding 'we are definitely challenging the illegal ban and irrational censorship in the court of law'.
'Anybody who gives accurate analysis of the situation and deals with objective facts is banned. On the other hand, anybody who screams on television screens and disseminates fake news is rewarded and decorated.'Pravin SawhneyEditor, FORCE
Furthermore, he said that his news platform has to fight for its existence and for independent journalism to highlight different perspectives so as to amplify the forgotten voices. He argued that, in the prevailing atmosphere of censorship, 'every expression entails a cost'.
Internet service providers said the sites are 'blocked as per the order of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology'. Moreover, the I&B Ministry directed all OTT platforms, digital streaming services, and intermediaries operating in India to 'immediately discontinue all web series, films, songs, podcasts, and any other media content originating from Pakistan'. Earlier, the Instagram accounts of renowned Pakistani film and television actors like Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan were blocked in India.
'One of the worst autocratizers'
In yet another development, a recent video on India-Pakistan escalation and aerial strikes uploaded on YouTube by Pravin Sawhney, editor of the defence magazine FORCE, was also blocked. In the video, Sawhney, a defence analyst and a former Indian Army officer, had been critical of the government's recent decision to use air strikes against Pakistan.
'Anybody who gives accurate analysis of the situation and deals with objective facts is banned. On the other hand, anybody who screams on television screens and disseminates fake news is rewarded and decorated,' Sawhney told Frontline, adding 'blocking credible accounts, individuals, and channels shows that the government is in a panic mode.' However, he said there was no point in challenging the ban legally.
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The X accounts of two news portals run by Kashmiris, Free Press Kashmir and The Kashmiriyat, were also suspended 'in response to a legal demand by the government'. Qazi Zaid, who runs Free Press Kashmir, said that he was not aware of any specific post or news story that may have violated the social media platform's policies or local laws. 'Our reportage is consistent with journalistic standards and public interest reporting. Without transparency from the platform regarding the triggering content or legal basis, we are unable to confirm what specifically led to this action.'
Global watchdogs and organisations such as the Sweden-based V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute have been critical of the Indian government. According to V-Dem's 2025 report titled '25 Years of Autocratization – Democracy Trumped?', globally India has been 'one of the worst autocratizers lately'. However, India has rejected these global reports on media freedom, free speech, religious freedom for minorities, and democracy, etc., describing them as 'motivated'.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence directed all media channels, digital platforms, and individuals to 'refrain from live coverage or real-time reporting of defence operations and movement of security forces'.