ExploreFree Speech TrackerTrack Violations across Categories, States & Years

The Free Speech Tracker is a database that records free speech violations in India across various categories. Tracked violations can be searched across categories, states or years. Categories covered include Arrests, Attacks, Censorship, Harassment, Internet Control, Killings, Lawfare, Policies/Regulations, and Threats.

Please visit the About Us page for a guide to free speech violations tracked by FSC,

Numbers are liable to change and violations may be reclassified in case of discrepancies in reporting or updates due to developments in ongoing cases. In case of updates or corrections and to report free speech violations, please contact us.

[Note: The data included currently is for 2025 as updates for previous years is under process. For details of previous years, please go to the Reports section.]

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State: Applicable Across India

Year: 2025

Date: April 30, 2025

Censorship – The Arts

In April 2025, the Indian government banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including some of the most popular drama and news channels, amid the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistani drama channels have an enormous fan base across India and Pakistan. Classic shows like Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Humsafar, and Tere Bin hugely contributed to the craze of Pakistani dramas. However, the recent ban of 16 Pakistani drama channels on YouTube is considered a major turning point in the cross-border digital entertainment dynamic. Let’s take a look at the list of 16 banned Pakistani channels on YouTube.

State: Kerala

Year: 2025

Date: April 30, 2025

Censorship – The Arts

Renowned dancer, activist, and Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam, Mallika Sarabhai, has alleged that limitations have been placed on her freedom of expression in her new academic role.

In a candid Facebook post on Wednesday, Sarabhai reflected on her experience, writing: “Today I got my first taste of what it means to be the Chancellor of a University. Restricted speech.”

Her remarks come in the wake of an ongoing protest by ASHA workers in Thrissur, who are demanding better wages and improved working conditions.

She expressed her support for the cause, stating that ASHA workers are “ill paid and used” despite the critical work they perform across the country.

Sarabhai also highlighted a citizens’ crowdfunding initiative, led by noted writer and activist Sarah Joseph, to support the workers in Thrissur, in which she has been invited to participate on Thursday.

However, Sarabhai revealed that after expressing her personal opinion on the issue, she was seemingly advised against doing so, leading her to question the constraints now placed upon her public voice.

State: Applicable Across India

Year: 2025

Date: April 29, 2025

Censorship – News Media/Documentaries

YouTube news channel 4PM has been banned in India because of a government order linked to “national security or public order”.

The channel’s owner and editor-in-chief Sanjay Sharma said he had received an email from YouTube on Tuesday morning about the channel being closed as per the government’s directions. Sharma said he is concerned about national security and was only asking the government questions.

State: Applicable Across India

Year: 2025

Date: April 12, 2025

Censorship – News Media/Documentaries | Harassment – Journalists

On April 12, 2025, Girijesh Vashistha. senior journalist and editor of the news analysis Youtube channel Knocking News found that his channel was hacked and the logo changed, with posts of false news of cryptocurrency. In a video, he described how he complained to Youtube about how he had lost control of his channel, despite having two-factor authentication, and his attempts to restore it. Instead, he said the channel itself was blocked.
Knocking News was a popular youtube channel with 17.5 lakh subscribers and it has always questioned the ruling establishement.
Vashistha, who had worked with several media houses, including India Today group, Zee Network, Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Jagran and Sahara Samay, also spoke of the content he had put forth, especially about authoritarianism and the threat to democracy in India, which he believed could have resulted in the hacking attack. Earlier too, his Facebook account was hacked into and he had tried to get it restored.

State: Uttar Pradesh

Year: 2025

Date: April 29, 2025

Attacks – Journalists

A Dalit journalist, Sanjay Ambedkar, was allegedly assaulted by PVR staff while attempting to take audience reviews of the film Phule in Prayagraj. The incident, captured on video, has gone viral on social media, sparking outrage and demands for strict action against those involved.
Ambedkar, who runs a YouTube channel called Bheemraj Dastak, had visited PVR Cinemas to talk to viewers exiting the theatre after watching Phule. Despite the film being screened, he noted there were no posters or promotional materials for it inside the premises. When he tried to speak to moviegoers, PVR employees and bouncers allegedly confronted and attacked him.
Recounting the incident to The Mooknayak, Sanjay said, “I came to take reviews of the film Phule. While I was speaking with some viewers, I was suddenly stopped. I continued my work, but soon the situation escalated, and they began assaulting us.”
Sanjay explained that he and his colleague, Ravi Kumar, were both present. “They caught hold of Ravi first, and when I intervened and asked them to stop, they started beating me too. We were dragged to the third floor, mistreated, and assaulted. Somehow, I managed to escape and informed the authorities. Ravi was held hostage inside and was released after half an hour.”

State: Uttar Pradesh

Year: 2025

Date: April 21, 2025

Sambhal Police on Sunday said they have arrested seven people in connection with posters bearing ‘Free Gaza, Free Palestine’ messages appearing on the walls of shops in Narauli town. The poster calls for a boycott of Israeli products while encouraging people to buy Indian products.

Across the world, people are boycotting businesses that profit from the genocide in Gaza that has killed at least 51,000 Palestinians while blocking all aid into the besieged enclave.

Baniyather Station House Officer Ramveer Singh told PTI that the police had launched a probe and identified the seven individuals based on CCTV camera footage.

Additional information was gathered from the owners of the shops on whose walls the posters appeared.

State: Karnataka

Year: 2025

Date: April 29, 2025

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the Union of India to initiate process to block Proton Mail in India. A single judge, Justice M Nagaprasanna allowed the petition filed by M Moser Design Associated India Pvt Ltd, seeking a direction to the Union Government to take such steps as are necessary to ban the use of Proton Mail in India.

State: Uttar Pradesh

Year: 2025

Date: April 28, 2025

Lawfare – National Security, Others

University of Lucknow assistant professor Madri Kakoti, known as satirist Dr Medusa online, has been booked for her social media posts on the Pahalgam attack.

An FIR has been lodged at Hasanganj police station on the basis of a complaint from an ABVP member, who is enrolled in a postgraduate course at the university. It has been filed under BNS sections 197(1), 152, 302, 352, 353(2) and 196(1)(a) apart from provisions of the IT Act.

Jatin Shukla, the complainant, alleged that Dr Medusa’s social media posts were detrimental to national integrity and law and order in India. Shukla claimed that Dr Medusa had repeatedly referred to “saffron terror” and her post was also shared by a Pakistani social media account.

State: Uttar Pradesh

Year: 2025

Date: April 28, 2025

Lawfare – General, Others

Social media political commentators, Shamita Yadav, known as ‘Ranting Gola’, and Lucknow University professor Dr Madri Kakoti, also known as ‘Dr Medusa’, are facing legal action over the recent posts concerning the Pahalgam terror attack. While a police complaint has been filed against Yadav, Dr Kakoti faces a sedition case
Both women are known for their straightforward, sharp yet simple content, frequently asking relevant questions regarding social issues, including employment, economic growth, rising hate crime against minorities and actions of various ruling governments.
The police complaint against Shamita Yadav alias ‘Ranting Gola‘ has been filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva, who accused Yadav of “insulting the Manusmriti” and encouraging “anti-Bharat propaganda” in her latest video.

State: Uttar Pradesh

Year: 2025

Date: April 28, 2025

Lawfare – General, Others

An FIR was registered on Sunday against folk singer Neha Singh Rathore at a police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow for sharing “objectionable” content on social media regarding the recent Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people.
Authorities said her posts, described as “provocative”, targeted a specific faith community following the Pahalgam tragedy and could potentially threaten the nation’s unity, according to PTI news agency.
Poet Abhay Pratap Singh, a resident of Gudamba, Kursi Road, lodged the complaint at Hazratganj police station.
“In this situation, singer and poetess Neha Singh Rathore, using her Twitter (now X) handle @nehafolksinger made some objectionable posts that can adversely affect the national integrity and made repeated efforts to incite one community against another based on religion,” the complainant, Abhay Pratap Singh, said.
Following the complaint, police booked Rathore under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to promoting communal disharmony, disturbing public peace, and endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity. She has also been charged under provisions of the Information Technology Act, police added.

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