Kejriwal Claims Meta Restricted His Instagram Account, Says Company Hasn't Explained Why

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday claimed that Meta has restricted his Instagram account in India.

He alleged that the company has neither disclosed the reason behind the action nor responded to his repeated emails seeking clarification.

In a post on X, the former Delhi CM tagged Meta and Meta India, saying he was informed during verbal enquiries at the company's India office that his Instagram account had been restricted and was no longer accessible in India.

He said no official had explained why the restriction was imposed or how it could be removed.

Kejriwal Questions Meta Over Alleged Restriction

Kejriwal posted on X, "Hi @Meta @metaindia. Why have you restricted my account? Verbal enquiries at your India office revealed that my account has been restricted in India and is unavailable in India. Why? No one in your office is giving any reasons. No one is suggesting how restrictions can be removed. All emails written have elicited no response other than routine acknowledgement. That's pretty bad service."

The AAP chief also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that Meta was favouring the government. "Don't bow down to our Prime Minister so much. Else he will allow you to run only his own account in India," he added.

Kejriwal's post comes at a time when Meta is facing increased scrutiny over its operations in India.

Meta Under Scanner Over Multiple Issues

On August 5, Meta apologised after a technical error briefly made a Facebook post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi unavailable. The company restored the post after the issue was flagged and said the removal was inadvertent.

Separately, Meta is also facing questions over alleged advertisements related to Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM).

A senior Meta delegation led by Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan met Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S Krishnan on Wednesday to explain the temporary removal of the Prime Minister's Facebook video.

The meeting followed criticism from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, which sought an unconditional apology from Zuckerberg and warned that Meta's legal immunity under the Information Technology Act could come under review if such lapses continued.

Kejriwal's remarks draw a contrast between Meta's swift response in the Prime Minister's case and what he says has been the company's silence over the alleged restriction of his own Instagram account. Meta has not yet publicly responded to Kejriwal's claims.

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