Meta apologised on Tuesday after a selfie-style video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing student protesters was briefly taken down from Facebook before being restored.
The video had initially displayed a message stating it was unavailable in India “due to a legal request,” though no authority or statute was cited. Meta later clarified that the takedown was a mistake.
A Meta spokesperson said in a statement, “The content was removed in error and has since been restored.”
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The government is treating the incident with seriousness, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has summoned the global heads of Meta and Instagram to explain the temporary removal.
The video was posted on July 25 and showed PM Modi addressing students directly during nationwide protests linked to the NEET-UG paper leak. In the address, the Prime Minister assured students that the government treated paper leaks and examination irregularities with utmost seriousness.
“Friends, I know that paper leak is not an ordinary issue. It is very painful for lakhs of students and their families. That is why many steps have been taken in the last two and a half months,” PM Modi said.
He added, “The culprits have been caught and are in jail. Our most important responsibility was to ensure that students do not waste a single year. It was very important to take the exams immediately.”
PM Modi also said the government had used its full resources to conduct examinations for 22 lakh NEET aspirants without delay, and indicated that stricter action against paper leaks would be announced at the following day’s Cabinet meeting.
While the video was briefly restricted on Facebook, it continued to be accessible on Instagram, where it crossed over 300 million views within 24 hours, reportedly setting a new viewership record on the platform.
The address came at a critical point during the protests at Jantar Mantar, with reports noting that Sonam Wangchuk broke his prolonged hunger fast within half an hour of the video’s release.