For the second time in three weeks, Indian cartoonist Satish Acharya found himself effectively invisible on Instagram in his own country. The 55-year-old discovered on Tuesday that his account had once again been briefly blocked in India, allegedly with no explanation from the platform. Just a few weeks ago, another cartoonist, Manjul, had found that Instagram had restricted a post criticising India's election commission over its controversial revision of voter rolls.
His profile remained accessible. The cases have raised concerns about the use of legal orders to restrict political satire in India, with cartoonists saying they are often given little explanation for why their work has been blocked. Acharaya's account was first restricted from 28 September to 6 October, when users in India could neither find his profile through search nor access it through a web link.
Anyone trying to access his profile saw a message saying it was unavailable under India's Information Technology Rules. The rules allow authorities and courts to order social media platforms to remove or restrict content. The government says they help tackle unlawful material, but artists and free-speech advocates warn they can stifle India's rich tradition of political satire.
"Meta platforms have been restricting the reach of my cartoons for some years," Acharya told the BBC. "But when my entire profile was restricted in India, I was a little sad." He wrote to Meta, Instagram's parent company, but received no reply. He says he was preparing to go to court when his account became accessible again in early October, only to be blocked again earlier this week for three days.
In a statement, Meta told the BBC that may temporarily restrict accounts to comply with India's IT Rules but did not explain the specific reasons for restricting Acharya's account or Manjul's post. Critics say the restrictions come as humour and satire play an increasingly visible role in political dissent in India, particularly among younger people. Memes and Gen-Z humour helped fuel protests over education and jobs in July, which led to the resignation of India's education minister.
Online debate has also intensified over a controversial revision of voter rolls that removed 130 million names. The political significance of social media has not been lost on the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has urged ministers to strengthen their online presence and connect with younger audiences.
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