In a major development, the Government of India is all set to ban the accounts of social media influencers and pages that are posting anti-national content against India in the aftermath of the Pahalgam Terror Attack. India, which has already banned YouTube channels and Instagram accounts of Pakistanis, has now shifted their focus to social media influencers, including Indians who are posting anti-national, provocative, and insulting content.
The Standing Committee of Parliament on Information Technology has said that after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025, some social media influencers and social media platforms in the country seem to be working against the national interest, due to which there is a possibility of violence.
For the unversed, influencer and Bhojpuri singer Neha Singh Rathore has already been booked by Lucknow Police on sedition. The First Information Report (FIR) was filed at Hazratganj police station based on a complaint that her posts allegedly provoked, targeted a particular religious community, and could incite communal tensions. Rathore faces several charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including those related to promoting sectarian animosity, disturbing public tranquillity, and endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.
In her video, she claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would now use the Pahalgam attack as a pretext for Bihar's vote-seeking, much as he did following the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF soldiers. Due to similar social media remarks, the artist has previously faced controversy. Rathore's video was shared widely in Pakistan.
What did the committee say?
The committee has requested the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to inform what action has been taken and is planned to be taken to ban such platforms under the IT Act 2000 and 'Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Conduct) Rules, 2021' on social media influencers working against the national interest.
According to reports, the committee has asked the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to provide information by May 8. It is being said that the comments made on social media have been taken into cognizance by the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey.
In the past few days, the Indian government blocked the social media accounts of many Pakistani news channels, political people, and celebrities in India. This includes X accounts and many big YouTube channels. India has banned the X accounts of Pakistan People's Party President Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif. Along with this, the channels of many people, including Dawn News, ARY News, Bol News, Geo News, Sama Sports, Irshad Bhatti, GNN, and cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, were also blocked.