NEW DELHI: India came under sharp criticism after X, formerly known as Twitter, disclosed that the Indian government had ordered the blocking of over 2,000 accounts earlier this month, including two belonging to international news agency Reuters.
In a statement issued by X revealed the Indian government, citing Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, ordered the platform on July 3 to block 2,355 accounts. Among them were @Reuters and @ReutersWorld — both of which were inaccessible to Indian users for nearly 24 hours.
The decision has sparked a debate on press freedom in the country, with X accusing Indian authorities of “ongoing press censorship”.
“We are deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders. X is exploring all legal options available,” the platform said in a statement. It further claimed that failure to comply with the blocking orders could have exposed its employees to criminal liability under Indian law.
The move prompted immediate backlash, especially as it emerged that the blocked accounts included prominent international media outlets. While the Reuters accounts were restored late on Sunday night, the status of other blocked accounts remains unclear.
Notably, the development contradicts earlier remarks by a spokesperson for India’s Press Information Bureau, who had denied that any government agency was behind the suspension of the Reuters handles.
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