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An Indian parliamentary committee has called on Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to apologise over the temporary removal of a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Facebook and Instagram.
The demand followed the takedown of a video in which Modi addressed students at youth-led protests on July 23.
Meta later restored the video, attributing the removal to a technical error.
Speaking on Wednesday, the chairman of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, Nishikant Dubey, argued that the incident reflected editorial action rather than the conduct of a neutral intermediary.
Dubey said Zuckerberg should apologise within three days, warning that failure to do so could prompt calls for the withdrawal of the legal protections enjoyed by Meta’s platforms under India’s safe harbour provisions.
He disclosed that the committee had written to the country’s interior and technology ministries, requesting appropriate action.
Although parliamentary standing committees can summon company executives and scrutinise government policies, they do not have the authority to impose penalties.
Any enforcement action would require intervention by the government or the courts.
Indian media reported that Meta officials had been summoned to explain the incident.
The company had not responded publicly to the committee’s latest demand at the time of reporting.
