NEW DELHI: Parliamentary Committee on Communications and Information Technology has given Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg three days to issue a personal apology after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Facebook video was briefly removed from Facebook. The panel called the incident serious and warned that Meta could face legal action if it fails to respond.
The Parliamentary Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, questioned Meta officials over the temporary removal of the Prime Minister’s video. The panel described the incident as an attack on democracy and said a personal apology should come from Mark Zuckerberg.
The committee has warned that if Meta fails to respond within three days, the Government of India may consider reviewing Facebook’s Safe Harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. If that protection is removed, criminal FIRs could be filed directly against company officials.
How the controversy started
The issue began after Prime Minister Modi shared a selfie-style video about strict action against examination paper leaks. The video was first uploaded on Instagram and later shared on Facebook. The video was briefly restricted on July 28 but was later restored. First released on July 23, it featured Prime Minister Modi’s first direct message to Gen Z during the 36-day Cockroach Janta Party-led student protest over alleged NEET-UG 2026 exam paper leak.
The video featured PM Modi assuring students that the government would crack down on examination paper leaks and introduce stricter legal measures.
Meta apologised and said the video was removed because of a technical error. However, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said the explanation was not satisfactory and asked the company to strengthen its systems to avoid similar incidents.
Meta is also facing legal action in Telangana. Hyderabad Cybercrime Police have registered a case against operators of several Facebook and Instagram accounts and the head of Meta India.
BJP Telangana Social Media CC member T. Saikiran Goud filed the complaint. He alleged that edited posts and reels targeting Prime Minister Modi could spread misinformation and affect public order. Police have registered the case under Sections 66(C) and 67 of the Information Technology Act and Sections 353(2) and 336(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Investigators are preserving digital evidence and identifying those responsible.
