Indian Cartoonists Face Repeated Instagram Blocks Under IT Rules
Legal orders issued through the Sahyog portal have restricted political satire accounts, with nearly 195,000 requests sent to platforms this year.
By Anthony Lawson ·
Satish Acharya, a 55-year-old Indian cartoonist, discovered on Tuesday that his Instagram profile had been blocked again in India. This was the second time in three weeks his account became inaccessible to users in the country, raising questions about the application of the Information Technology Rules to political satire.
The first restriction occurred from September 28 to October 6. During that period, Indian users could not find the account via search or link, seeing only a notice citing the IT Rules. Acharya said he contacted Meta, Instagram's parent company, but received no reply. He prepared to file a lawsuit just as the account returned in early October, only to be blocked for three days this week. Meta told the BBC it may temporarily restrict accounts to comply with IT Rules but did not explain the specific actions taken against Acharya or another cartoonist, Manjul.
Government data reveals the scale of these interventions. Between March and July, authorities sent nearly 195,000 blocking and content-restriction orders to platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube through the Sahyog portal. The figures, obtained via a right-to-information request, do not specify how many posts were ultimately removed. Technology policy expert Prateek Waghre noted that Meta appears more willing to comply with these orders than X, though public data limits direct comparison. Authorities also recently asked Meta to ensure its systems do not steer users toward a single set of narratives.
Critics argue these measures threaten India's long tradition of political satire. Manjul had a post restricted weeks earlier for criticizing the election commission's revision of voter rolls, which removed 130 million names. His profile remained accessible, unlike Acharya's. Rachita Taneja, creator of the Instagram comic Sanitary Panels, described social media as a double-edged sword, noting that while it allows independent artists to bypass traditional gatekeepers, it makes them dependent on platform compliance with commercial priorities.
The tension between satire and state power has historical roots. In the 1970s, artist Abu Abraham continued drawing during the Emergency despite censorship. In 2012, Aseem Trivedi was arrested on sedition charges over cartoons mocking the constitution, a case that was later dropped. India currently ranks 157th in the World Press Freedom Index. The government maintains the IT Rules help manage unlawful material, while advocates say they stifle free expression.
Sandeep Adhwaryu, a cartoonist at a leading Indian newspaper, described his peers as the default opposition. He noted that Acharya faced few official restrictions before 2014, when many of his cartoons targeting the then-government were even shared by current ruling party leaders. Adhwaryu warned that self-censorship can become normalized without explicit orders, though he expects satire to adapt like a shape-shifting virus. Meta declined to provide further comment on the specific blocks.
Acharya said losing his profile made him feel a little sad but noted he was ready for legal action. When his account was first restricted, Taneja drew a stick-figure cartoon in solidarity. The IT ministry has not responded to requests for comment from the BBC regarding the recent restrictions.
