--- title: "India Censors Satirical Video on Instagram" url: https://noti.group/india-censors-satirical-video-on-instagram/ language: en publisher: "Noti Group" section: "World News" published: 2026-10-09T12:37:49.000Z updated: 2026-10-09T13:53:40.555Z id: 3f84b43f-9159-4ab9-b25b-a2b9c9dd5075 source: "Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/9/satire-silenced-indian-artists-face-censorship-as-anti-modi-protests-grow?traffic_source=rss" attribution: "Link to https://noti.group/india-censors-satirical-video-on-instagram/ and name Noti Group when you quote or summarize this story." --- # India Censors Satirical Video on Instagram A satirical video posted on Instagram by Indian comedian Brijesh Jha has been removed from the platform, sparking accusations that the government is using censorship to silence dissenting voices. The video, which mocked the removal of Jha's name and those of his family members from a voter list in West Bengal, had garnered 1.7 million views since its posting on September 29. The comedian alleged in the video that India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was working at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to disenfranchise millions of voters. The removal of Jha's video from Instagram came two days after its posting, with Meta citing "local laws as the reason. The move has raised concerns about censorship and the government's increasing use of social media platforms to suppress dissenting voices. Jha, a Mumbai-based artist, expressed his frustration at having his work removed from Instagram, saying that he felt helpless when it happened. He noted that voting is the only right that citizens have in India, and without it, they are left with nothing. The removal of Jha's video comes amid growing protests against the Modi government, which are being fueled by an investigation by the Indian Express newspaper revealing concerns about a controversial revision of voter rolls conducted by the election commission. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, launched in June last year, aims to identify and remove deceased, duplicate or dubious voters from India's electoral rolls. Critics of the SIR process point out that it has already deleted over 130 million voters, nearly 14 percent of India's total electorate. The majority of these deletions are believed to be Muslims, who traditionally do not vote for Modi's Hindu nationalist party. This has raised concerns about voter suppression and electoral manipulation. Two election commissioners had formally objected at least 14 times to key decisions taken by the SIR exercise's chief. Opposition politicians and critics accuse Kumar, a Modi government appointee, of acting in favor of the ruling BJP. They demand an independent inquiry into the decisions made during his tenure as election commissioner. Protests against the alleged electoral manipulation have erupted across India, with demonstrators demanding Kumar's resignation. The main opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, was briefly detained by police in New Delhi on Tuesday while trying to march to the election commission office. Protesters took to the streets again on Wednesday, continuing their demonstrations against the government's actions. The opposition parties have been accused by the BJP of trying to overthrow the current administration through a coordinated effort. A BJP spokesperson claimed that the protesters are intentionally targeting India's democratic institutions and constitution. The protests were sparked by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and left-wing students in Mumbai and New Delhi, who began demonstrating on October 2. Their creative use of humor, art, and music to express dissent has been a notable aspect of these protests. In response to the demonstrations, the government has issued an increasing number of content-blocking orders to social media platforms. According to one report, nearly 195,000 blocking requests were made between March and July this year, averaging one request every 68 seconds. The Indian government's new rules governing online content have led to a significant increase in censorship of satirical works. Since February, social media platforms have been required to remove content deemed unlawful by a government authority or court within three hours. Several artists have fallen victim to this crackdown, including political cartoonist Satish Acharya. His Instagram account was blocked in India from September 28 until late on October 5 after several of his cartoons were removed. The removals included some of Acharya's older works, dating back up to three years. The move has been seen as an attempt by the government to suppress dissenting voices and limit freedom of expression. Stand-up comic Jha also expressed support for the growing protests against the Modi government. Indian comedian Jha has made it clear that he will not attempt to have his name reinstated on the voters' list following his recent criticism of the government's handling of online content. His decision comes as a result of the growing crackdown on dissenting voices in India. In a satirical message aimed directly at Prime Minister Modi, Jha urged him to reconsider the restrictive measures being taken against artists and comedians like himself. He jokingly asked Modi to give back his right to vote and reminded him that his reputation for having a 56-inch chest" should not be used as an excuse to stifle dissent. --- Source: [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/9/satire-silenced-indian-artists-face-censorship-as-anti-modi-protests-grow?traffic_source=rss) Published by Noti Group: https://noti.group/india-censors-satirical-video-on-instagram/