Delhi Police step up drive to take down posts on protests

The Delhi Police is in the process of sending takedown notices to Instagram, in an attempt to remove several reels and posts that emerged during the youth protests at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere, officials said. A senior police officer said they regularly flag offensive social media posts with the concerned authorities for removal. 

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Without specifying the time frame or the nature of the content, the officer admitted that a large number of such posts had recently been flagged and taken down. He also said that more than 400 social media accounts operating from outside the country and posting offensive content had been blocked. The police had previously mentioned those 400 accounts in a press conference.

“We do not maintain the number of offensive posts because they are too many. It is an ongoing process. There is a dedicated social media team that continuously monitors such posts, and sometimes they are also flagged by other agencies. We do not keep a count,” the officer said.

Several users posted details of posts that were taken down by Meta in response to a legal demand by the government. It is unclear how many government organisations are sending takedown notices to Instagram on protest-related content. While former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation settled the protests’ main demand, government officials have expressed frustration with the way the demonstrations and support were amplified on social media, mainly on Instagram.

Of the removed posts reviewed by The Hindu, many featured police violence against the students, or criticism thereof, on July 20, 2026, when police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)’s Rapid Action Force in and around Jantar Mantar used lathis, tear gas rounds, and pellet guns on protesters.

Law enforcement agencies typically send takedown notices under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act that notify platforms of specified content that is illegal, however without a legally binding takedown requirement. Meta, however, in recent months has acted to comply with nearly every single 79(3)(b) request “automatically,” potentially handing authorities powers of instant censorship.

A Meta spokesperson did not respond to questions on the scale of the takedown orders they are currently receiving from authorities in India, and what they are doing in response to those requests.

“The Internet Freedom Foundation condemns this takedown drive and calls for the notices to be disclosed and withdrawn,” the Delhi-based digital rights advocacy group said in a statement. “On the reports available, the content being removed is political expression. The movement at Jantar Mantar has been conducted as much through reels, memes, posters and digital artwork as through assembly on the ground. This is how a digital native generation raised online speaks about accountability.”

“Unpublished directions are also contrary to [the Supreme Court’s guidelines laid out in] Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India, which requires that orders restricting fundamental rights be published so that they can be challenged,” IFF added. “If the underlying theory is defamation of the Prime Minister, the police have no role at all. Defamation under Section 356 of the BNS is a non-cognizable offence, prosecuted only on a complaint by the person aggrieved under Section 222 of the BNSS.”