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Censorship – News Media / Documentaries

CPI-M, Assam has filed a complaint with Assam’s Chief Electoral Officer, stating that All India Radio and Doordarshan censored substantial portions of its election broadcast speech that criticised the BJP-led state government.

#CPIM #Assam State Committee secretary Suprakash Talukdar described the edits as “brazen censorship” carried out in the name of vetting. He said the party submitted its speech to the Guwahati centres of AIR and Doordarshan on March 29 in full compliance with Election Commission guidelines.

The CPI(M) stated that the speech contained no prohibited content—such as references to foreign countries, remarks on the President or judiciary, or any divisive or objectionable language. It focused on criticising the state government’s policies, exposing the corporate-communal nexus, and highlighting failures in addressing people’s basic issues along with what it termed anti-democratic governance.

The party said entire sentences and paragraphs were removed, distorting its intended message to voters. It termed the move an attempt to silence dissent and shield those in power from criticism.

Condemning the action, the CPI(M) said such interference during elections undermines democratic principles and reflects an authoritarian trend, with public broadcasting platforms being reduced to instruments of control.

Censorship – News Media/ Documentaries

The Kerala Police on Tuesday ordered social media platforms to remove posts, including those by journalists and members of Opposition parties, about a letter the Election Commission had issued.

A row had erupted in the state on Monday when an Election Commission letter bearing the seal of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kerala unit was widely shared online. The seal was on a letter dated March 19, 2019, sent to political parties across the country detailing norms about criminal antecedents of candidates.

The letter had been sent along with an email on March 21.

After the matter came to light on Monday, the poll panel said that the letter carried the BJP seal due to a “purely clerical error”. The panel added that it had withdrawn the erroneous document.​

On Tuesday, journalists Arvind Gunasekar, Piyush Rai and the Congress’ Aditya Goswami posted on social media that the Kerala police had in its order cited sections of the 2000 Information Technology Act and the 2021 IT rules that allow the authorities to order intermediaries such as social media platforms to take down content.

Censorship – News Media / Documentaries

The verified Facebook and Instagram pages of Kashmir Life became inaccessible in India on Monday afternoon after Meta restricted access at the request of law enforcement authorities.Kashmir culture coverage

Reports of the page’s inaccessibility began reaching the newsroom around 4:30 pm, when readers from across the country said they were unable to view the publication’s Facebook page. There had been no prior public notice or communication before access was blocked.

Subsequently, Meta put an auto response to the page suggesting that it had restricted access to the content in India “pursuant to a notice from ‘The Government of India V Law Enforcement’ under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.” The communication advised the organisation to contact the issuing authority for further information and stated that details regarding content restrictions based on local law are available through Meta’s Transparency Centre.

Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, empowers authorities to require intermediaries to disable access to content upon receiving actual knowledge through a court order or government notification.

On Instagram, where Kashmir Life also maintains a presence, a notice displayed on the platform reads: “We received a legal request to restrict this content. We reviewed it against our policies and conducted a legal and human rights assessment. After the review, we restricted access to the content in the location where it goes against local law.”

Censorship – News Media / Documentaries

A satirical animated cartoon of Prime Minister Narendra Modi being awarded an invented medal during his Israel visit and Knesset speech, presented humorously to The Wire’s over 1.3 million X followers, has been “withheld in India”.

The 37-second cartoon, featuring Modi, the Speaker of the Knesset and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has a jingle in Hindi: “Medal Mila Hai VishwaGuru Ko” (The World’s Guru has got a medal) to the tune of ‘Chura Liya Hai’ from the film Yaadon ki Baaraat.

It was posted on X on February 27, 2026, but viewers of The Wire now see the following stock message for censored posts, instead of the humorous cartoon presented to its viewers:

Ironically, the hundreds of viewers’ responses to The Wire’s animation – appreciative, neutral, or critical – are still accessible to all on X, including more satirical animations posted by some on the platform.

Also, the post, originally in Hindi, is still available on TheWireHindi on X.

Censorship – The Arts

The controversial film The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond is once again in the news. The film is facing legal hurdles and rigorous censorship procedures even before its release. Although the film has been passed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with a U/A 16+ rating, this approval is not without conditions. The Censor Board, given the film’s sensitivity, demanded several significant changes and cuts before giving it the green light.

According to a recent report by Bollywood Hungama, the CBFC has ordered approximately 16 cuts or alterations to the film. The Board has edited the film’s most disturbing scenes, reducing a rape scene by 20 seconds and a lip-lock scene by 7 seconds. Overall, kissing scenes and sexual violence in the film have been reduced by 50%. Scenes depicting physical violence against women, such as slapping or headbutting, have also been shortened to balance the film’s intensity.