Meta has officially apologized and restored a high-engagement Facebook video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after admitting it was mistakenly taken down. The brief restriction of the content triggered an immediate response from the Indian government, prompting the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to summon the global heads of Meta and Instagram.
The controversy began in the early hours of July 28, when users attempting to view the Prime Minister's video encountered notices indicating that access had been restricted following a legal request. However, a Meta spokesperson quickly clarified the situation, stating that the content was removed entirely in error due to a technical glitch and has since been fully reinstated. The video in question, originally released on July 23, captured Prime Minister Modi's first direct address to Generation Z during the 36-day student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
In the widely viewed selfie video, PM Modi addressed public anxieties surrounding examination paper leaks, assuring citizens that stricter punitive actions and measures would be formally introduced during the Cabinet meeting. Before the brief technical disruption, the address had already amassed millions of views. This incident follows a massive surge in PM Modi's digital footprint.
Earlier in the month, a late-night video message addressing exam leaks drove an overnight increase of roughly 1 million followers on Instagram, pushing his total follower count on the platform close to 101 million. Internationally, PM Modi maintains a dominant digital presence, standing as the most-followed world leader and politician globally—holding more than double the follower count of other major international figures like US President Donald Trump. While Meta has resolved the technical error and restored visibility, government authorities continue to examine the protocols and automated moderation triggers that led to the accidental blocking of a head of state's public communicatio
