The fury found among the young during the month-long agitation at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak, expressed through memes and reels purportedly targeting the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will face criminal charges following the Delhi Police's direction to remove videos and reels deemed abusive towards the Prime Minister.
The movement gathered young people from across the country, and their resolute stand culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Public anger was expressed through different themes and memes, online satire, posters, digital artwork, and short-form videos directed at the Centre and the Prime Minister.
According to reports in The Indian Express, senior Delhi Police officials confirmed that three social media platforms had been asked to take down posts containing what the police described as "objectionable language and offensive remarks" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while asserting that the deletion process was under way.
Reports suggested that the Delhi Police's social media monitoring unit first identified videos, comments and posts allegedly containing abusive material before initiating takedown notices, while also examining newly uploaded content, suggesting that the exercise remains ongoing.
Authorities are continuing to identify abusive content across multiple platforms and will issue further notices wherever necessary. However, officials have not publicly clarified the specific legal provisions under which the removal orders are being enforced.
The development comes amid growing concerns over online censorship. Recent reports highlighted how a satirical Facebook post by a CPI(M) leader in West Bengal, commenting on Modi's use of a teleprompter, was reportedly removed by Meta within minutes of publication.
The latest action has intensified debate over the balance between curbing abusive speech and safeguarding legitimate political criticism, satire and dissent in India's increasingly contested digital public sphere.