'Ridiculous... not fiction': Sashi Kumar slams Instagram takedown of Mathrubhumi video

Concerns over press freedom and digital censorship in India have intensified following Meta's decision to restrict access to a viral news video posted on Instagram by Mathrubhumi English.

The 50-second clip, filmed by Mathrubhumi’s crew on 11 October 2026 during CJP protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, captures three female police officers forcibly detaining a young protester who clings to a lamppost after attempting to shield her friend. Before its geo-blocking in India, the footage had amassed over 11 million views.

Regulatory pressure and legal framework

The restriction was enforced after the government invoked Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. This provision removes an intermediary's safe-harbour protection if it fails to act on official notices regarding alleged "unlawful" content. Critics argue that leveraging statutory provisions against standard journalistic coverage represents an attempt to suppress reporting on police conduct at Jantar Mantar.

Veteran journalist Sashi Kumar condemned the block as an arbitrary attempt to obscure ground realities in the capital.

“It is ridiculous that this video should be blocked. It is not fiction or make-believe created for the video. It is what is transpiring here and now in the national capital in the name of maintaining law and order,” stated Sashi Kumar.

Kumar highlighted that the video merely documented widespread public demonstrations regarding democratic processes and electoral legitimacy.

“There is abundant video footage on the internet of the heavy-handedness of the police over the last two days. The entire nation has been watching this and growing anguished and angry at the way protestors of a cause that is dear and vital to democracy — the very legitimacy and representativeness of the elections themselves — are being treated,” he added.

Condemnation of Police Action

Commenting on the treatment of detained individuals, Kumar detailed reports emerging from the protest sites regarding heavy-handed tactics.

“Roughly grabbed and bundled into vehicles custom-designed within like jail cages where they are, per the accounts of the victims themselves, subjected to obscene insults and thrashings. The fact that people are seeing this is an embarrassment? Is the exposé illegal? The fact that our youth are being set upon ruthlessly like this is a mockery of the idea of maintaining law and order,” Kumar stated.

Mathrubhumi reaffirmed its commitment to reporting on public interest stories despite increasing regulatory scrutiny and platform restrictions.