Meta restores PM Modi's Facebook video, says removal was an error

NEW DELHI — Meta has admitted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video on Facebook was removed in error and said it has now been restored as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) summoned the global heads of Meta and Instagram over the brief blocking of the content, according to a statement on Tuesday.

"The content was removed in error and has since been restored," a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

The video -- released on July 23 -- marked Prime Minister Modi's first address to Gen Z during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led 36-day student protest.

Moreover, the Global Head of Meta and Instagram were summoned by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) over the blocking of the Prime Minister's video on Facebook.

In the video, he said that stricter action against paper leaks will be announced at tomorrow's Cabinet meeting.

The address had garnered millions of views before access to the video was briefly restricted on Facebook in the early hours of July 28.

Reports claim that Facebook initially restricted access to the video in response to what appeared to be a legal request.

However, Meta has now clarified that the content was taken down mistakenly and has been reinstated.

Earlier posted in the month, PM Modi’s late-night video on social media added around 1 million followers on Instagram overnight, an indication of the wide reach and public acceptance of his insights on the paper leaks issue.

Observers credited PM Modi’s high-engagement selfie video addressing exam paper leaks for the overnight surge in his Instagram followers, taking the total number of his followers to nearly 101 million.

PM Modi commands a massive digital presence on the world stage. He ranks as the most-followed politician and world leader globally, holding more than double the followers of other prominent international figures like US President Donald Trump.