X blocks Mohammed Zubair’s posts on Hindutva violence following govt order
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New Delhi: Fact-checker and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair said he received an email from X stating that the platform had been issued a blocking order by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The order pertains to posts on his account showing videos of Hindutva groups allegedly carrying out violence during Ram Navami processions.
Sharing the communication, Zubair wrote, “Got an email from X saying that they received a blocking order from the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology citing Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, regarding my X account.” He questioned whether exposing what he described as “fake propaganda and false narratives” put out by BJP ministers and official handles was no longer permitted.
According to the email, X said it had received the blocking order from the Ministry under Section 69A and was legally required to withhold access to the specified content in India, while the posts would remain accessible outside the country. The platform added that it could not provide additional details due to legal restrictions and advised that the order could be challenged by contacting cyberlaw@meity.gov.in or by seeking relief through the courts.
The development comes amid a rise in government-directed content takedowns. According to a report by The Hindu, within a year of being empowered to directly issue such notices, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an average of around 290 takedown notices per day.
As per the MHA’s 2024–25 annual report, till March 31, 2025, “1,11,185 suspicious online content has been blocked under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act.” On March 13, 2024, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre was designated as the agency to perform these functions under Section 79(3)(b).
Under this provision, intermediaries lose legal protection if they fail to remove flagged content upon receiving government directions. Social media platforms are required to take down such content within three hours of receiving a court order or a reasoned intimation from the government or its agencies, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology informed Parliament.
Separately, data from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) showed a sharp rise in cybersecurity incidents, with 29.44 lakh cases reported in 2025 compared to 20.41 lakh in 2024, with the highest number recorded in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.