SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Hyderabad: Social media accounts of several digital cartoonists have been restricted, with artists reporting that their handles were taken down following requests from the government.
Prominent political cartoonist Satish Acharya, whose Instagram account was restricted, said the notice came after he posted cartoons on the Election Commission amid backlash against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“I have never seen a govt which is SO SCARED of cartoons,” said Acharya on X, commenting on posts claiming his Instagram handle was withheld in India.
In another post on X, Acharya shared news clippings from 2018, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reportedly said “cartoons have healing power” and that “cartoonists were closer to God.”
With a caption, “Bravo, Modiji, Bravo #BlockSarkar,” the cartoonist showed that he could no longer access his social media account. The reason is stated as, “We repeatedly had to restrict access to content posted by you pursuant to legal requirements under India’s Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules.”
The Information Technology Rules under which Acharya’s account was restricted mandate social media platforms to take down content recognised as “unlawful.”
Another cartoonist, Manjul, said his Instagram was restricted in India in response to his cartoons about the Election Commission.
“When satire gets censored, perhaps the cartoon has made its point,” Manjul said in a post on X. He later alleged that government orders led to restrictions on other cartoonists’ posts, though fear of organisational fallout keeps some silent.
SOURCE : SIASAT
