Mark Zuckerberg asked to apologise over PM Modi's reel fiasco; Parl panel warns Meta of losing legal protection if…

Published 5 August 2026 · tech

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology on Wednesday sought an "unqualified apology" from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over Facebook's removal of a

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology on Wednesday sought an "unqualified apology" from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over Facebook's removal of a reel featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, warning that the social media platform could risk losing its legal immunity in India. The committee, in a letter to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), raised serious objections over Facebook's decision to remove a video of PM Modi addressing students and Gen Z on examination-related controversies and paper leaks for nearly five to six hours, according to ANI. It asked Zuckerberg to issue an unconditional apology within three days of receiving the communication. The committee warned that failure to comply could result in the withdrawal of the legal protection available under Section 79(3) of the Information Technology Act, with Zuckerberg potentially being treated as a publisher and facing action accordingly.

The move comes after a meeting on August 3, 2026, attended by officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), MeitY, and representatives of major digital platforms, including Meta, Google, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat and YouTube, to deliberate on the regulation of social media platforms. Meta-owned Facebook temporarily blocked access to the Prime Minister's video last month before restoring it several hours later. Also Read | CJP Demands PM CARES Audit, Seeks Disclosure of BJP Funding Released on July 23, the video marked PM Modi's first direct message to Gen Z amid nationwide protests over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. In the address, PM Modi assured students that the government would introduce tougher measures to curb examination paper leaks, stating that stricter legal provisions would be placed before the Union Cabinet. ‘This is not the first time Meta India has done this’: Committee chairperson Earlier, committee chairperson and BJP MP from Godda, Nishikant Dubey, stated Meta had acknowledged that PM Modi's video remained unavailable on the platform for more than four hours.

Also Read | Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg slams AI rivals over tightly controlled development “Meta India removed the Prime Minister's content. This is not the first time Meta India has done this. If you recall, Zuckerberg himself made a statement in January regarding the 2024 elections and later apologised. This shows that his intention is to destabilise the country,” ANI quoted Dubey as saying. Also Read | Why the Gen Z protests stand out from student revolts of the past He added, “When a video of the Prime Minister of India can be removed, and they themselves admitted that the content was missing for five hours, from 12:30 am to 5:00 am, this is a very serious matter", noting, “Our committee has said two things and has clearly stated that the apology should come from Zuckerberg.