The parliamentary committee on telecommunications and IT took a strict position over the Facebook controversy. The issue involved removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s video. The committee, led by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, gave Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg a three-day deadline. It demanded an immediate apology over the incident.
According to the committee, deleting the video of India’s Prime Minister represented an attack on democracy. It also demanded action against responsible individuals.
Committee warns Meta over safe harbour protection
The committee warned that India could remove Facebook’s Safe Harbour Clause. This step could allow criminal cases against platform officials. The panel said Zuckerberg must apologise if Meta wants to avoid further action. It also stressed accountability in the matter. Furthermore, the committee directed major platforms to remove harmful content within three days. The order included Google, YouTube, X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat.
The platforms must remove child sexual exploitation material and objectionable content targeting women. The committee warned of strict action for non-compliance.
Meta cites technical issue during committee meeting
Earlier, the parliamentary committee met Meta officials on Monday, August 3, 2026. The discussion focused on the Facebook video removal controversy.
During the meeting, Meta apologised for deleting PM Modi’s video. The company said a technical issue caused the removal.
However, several committee members said the matter involved more than an apology. They demanded proper accountability for the incident. Nishikant Dubey questioned Meta India’s action. He said the company removed the Prime Minister’s content. Dubey added that Meta had taken similar actions earlier. He also mentioned Zuckerberg’s January statement about the 2024 elections and later apology.
Telangana police register FIR against Google and Meta
Meanwhile, Telangana Police registered FIRs against Google and Meta. Google faced allegations over hosting financial fraud applications. Meta faced allegations regarding sharing a fake PM Modi video. The removal of Safe Harbour protection could open criminal proceedings against platform officials. Dubey said the video remained unavailable for five hours. He mentioned the period from 12:30 am to 5:00 am.
Finally, the committee maintained two demands. It wanted an apology directly from Zuckerberg and warned about removing Section 79 Safe Harbour protection
