Modi government denies ordering X to block Reuters's account
What's the story
The Indian government has denied issuing any legal order to block the X account of international news agency Reuters. The denial comes after the social media platform displayed a notice saying it had withheld Reuters's account "in response to a legal demand." A government spokesperson said there was no such requirement from their end and that they are working with X to resolve this issue.
Background
Demand to block account during Operation Sindoor
During Operation Sindoor in May, a demand was made to block Reuters's X account along with several others. While many accounts were blocked in India, Reuters's handle remained accessible at that time. However, it now appears that X has acted on the earlier request and blocked Reuters's handle in India. The government has since sought an explanation from X for this action and requested its reversal.
Restoration
These handles are still accessible in India
Despite the blockage, affiliated X handles such as Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China remain accessible in India. However, both official X accounts of the global news agency and Reuters World handles are currently inaccessible.