‘Secret censorship’: The quiet crusade to scrub cartoons and dissent off social media

In response to legal demands from the Indian government, the social media platform X has restricted or entirely removed a wide array of posts, cartoons, and satirical videos. 

While some content has been deleted globally, many posts have been “withheld” within India, rendering them invisible to users in India. These statutory appeals by the Centre primarily target content that questions the prime minister or critiques official policies, sparking a significant debate over digital censorship and free speech in the region.

Despite the notices failing to specify a reason for the blocking, the account or post is removed anyway. Legal experts are terming this “secret censorship” – a process whereby individuals are denied the opportunity to present their side of the story or even understand the nature of their alleged transgression.

For example, a directive from a central ministry prompted X to remove a cartoon by Rakesh Ranjan. His work was based on a Scroll report revealing that one of India's leading beef export firms donated Rs 30 crore in electoral funds to the BJP during the 2024-25 period.

Similarly, several works by cartoonists Gaurav Sarjerao, Satish Acharya, and Manjul have also been removed. While social media restrictions have been an ongoing trend, the digital space for dissent and satire is shrinking rapidly.

Watch our report on the growing censorship on social media.

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