Meta cooperates after Hyderabad Police books India head over PM posts

MUMBAI: The spotlight on Meta has shifted from the news feed to the charge sheet. The social media giant says it is cooperating with Indian authorities after Hyderabad Cybercrime Police registered a case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas and several Facebook and Instagram accounts over the alleged circulation of morphed and objectionable content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We are in touch with the concerned agencies and are cooperating with them to resolve the matter,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement to ANI.

The police action follows complaints alleging that manipulated images, videos and reels featuring the Prime Minister were circulated on Meta-owned platforms during protests organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

According to the complaints, multiple Instagram posts allegedly contained digitally altered and AI-generated visuals depicting Modi in an obscene, derogatory and misleading manner. The complainants further alleged that the accompanying comments included offensive language directed at the Prime Minister and others featured in the posts.

The complaints argued that the content had the potential to mislead the public, spread misinformation, incite hatred, promote hostility between different sections of society and disturb public order.

The case was registered following complaints filed by S Aravind Reddy, a businessman, and T Saikiran Goud, a BJP Telangana social media coordinator and activist. Goud also submitted 20 URLs to Hyderabad Police, requesting an investigation into the accounts responsible for the posts, preservation of electronic evidence and coordination with Meta to obtain account-related information.

Hyderabad Cybercrime Police registered the case under Sections 66(C) and 67 of the Information Technology Act, along with Sections 353(2) and 336(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The disputed content allegedly surfaced during protests linked to the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, where the Cockroach Janta Party organised demonstrations demanding wider education reforms and the resignation of the then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protest concluded at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

The latest development comes as Meta is already under increased government scrutiny. Separately, the Centre has summoned the company’s senior leadership to explain the temporary removal of one of Prime Minister Modi’s Facebook posts. Meta has reportedly expressed regret over that incident and informed the government that it has introduced additional safeguards for high-profile accounts to prevent similar errors in future.

The twin developments underscore the growing regulatory focus on digital platforms in India, particularly as concerns around AI-generated content, misinformation and intermediary accountability continue to intensify. With authorities tightening oversight of online content, the case is likely to add fresh momentum to the broader debate over platform responsibility, content moderation and compliance with India’s evolving digital governance framework.