Arvind Kejriwal Claims Instagram Account Restricted in India, Questions Meta Over Action

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday alleged that Meta had restricted his Instagram account in India without providing any explanation, prompting him to question the social media giant's actions and accuse it of yielding to political pressure.

The former Delhi Chief Minister said repeated attempts to seek clarification from Meta had failed to produce a meaningful response.

Kejriwal Questions Meta Over Instagram Restriction

In a post on X, Kejriwal claimed that officials at Meta's India office verbally informed him that his Instagram account had been restricted for users in India.

Sharing a screenshot showing his account marked as "unavailable in some locations," he asked the company to explain the decision.

"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?" Kejriwal wrote.

AAP Chief Alleges No Explanation From Meta

Kejriwal said Meta had not disclosed the reason behind the alleged restriction despite multiple inquiries.

According to him, emails sent to the company received only automated acknowledgements, with no substantive response explaining the action or outlining a process to restore full access.

He described the company's handling of the issue as "pretty bad service."

Political Swipe at Prime Minister Modi

The AAP chief also took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi while reacting to the alleged restriction.

He alleged that Meta should not "bow down" to the Prime Minister, suggesting the action may have been politically motivated.

"Don't bow down to our Prime Minister so much. Else he will allow you to run only his own account in India," Kejriwal wrote.

Accounts Remained Accessible

Despite Kejriwal's claim, both his Instagram and Facebook accounts remained accessible to users in India at the time this report was published.

The screenshot shared by the AAP leader indicated that the account was "unavailable in some locations," though no official reason has been provided by Meta.

Meta Yet to Respond Publicly

Meta has not issued an official statement responding to Kejriwal's allegations.

The controversy comes just a day after the company apologised for briefly restricting a Facebook video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan acknowledged the action was the result of an error and apologised on behalf of the company.

Row Comes Amid Increased Scrutiny of Social Media Platforms

The latest dispute follows growing scrutiny of major social media platforms in India.

Recently, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology sought an apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg after the temporary restriction of the Prime Minister's Facebook post.

Separately, the Bombay High Court directed Meta, X and Google to remove social media posts found to be abusive, obscene or defamatory against Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Although Kejriwal's posts are unrelated to that case, the AAP leader has remained a vocal critic of the Centre on several policy issues through social media platforms.