Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have registered cases against Meta India’s Head, Arun Srinivas, along with the operators of several Facebook and Instagram accounts, over the circulation of morphed, AI-generated and objectionable content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests.
The police action follows the complaints registered, which said that the manipulated posts were defamatory, misleading and capable of inciting public unrest. The case has also renewed attention & debate towards Meta’s content moderation practices in India.
complainants expose derogatory posts on PM Modi
Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police registered two separate cases following complaints filed by S. Aravind Reddy, a 29-year-old businessman and T. Saikiran Goud, a Telangana BJP social media core committee member. Both complainants said that while browsing Facebook and Instagram, they encountered multiple digitally manipulated videos, AI-generated images and reels portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an obscene, derogatory and misleading manner.
According to the complaints, the posts contained offensive language, ridicule and indecent remarks directed at the Prime Minister and other individuals depicted in the altered content. The complainants argued that such material was capable of misleading the public, spreading misinformation, inciting hatred and public unrest, outraging public decency, defaming public figures and disturbing public order.
Goud also submitted a list of nearly 20 Facebook and Instagram URLs which are carrying objectionable content and urged police to preserve digital evidence, identify the operators of the accounts and seek details from Meta for further investigation. He further called for action against Meta and asserted that the platform is responsible as they have allowed such content to remain accessible.
Based on the complaints, police booked the accused under Sections 66-C (identity theft) and 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act, along with Sections 353(2) (statements conducive to public mischief) and 336(4) (forged electronic record harming reputation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The investigation has been entrusted to Inspector P. Jayashankar of the Cyber Crime Police Station.
Meta served notice as probe continues
Cyber Crime Police confirmed that notices have been issued to Meta regarding the registered cases and the social media links flagged in the complaints. Investigators said they are collecting account details from the company to identify the individuals operating the accounts and proceed with legal action.
The case was registered by Hyderabad cybercrime police, days after the Centre sought an explanation from Meta over the temporary removal of a video posted from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official Facebook account. The incident prompted the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to seek assurances from the company regarding safeguards for content posted by high-profile public figures. The government has also demanded detailed explanation from Meta and is undertaking stringent scrutiny over removal of PM Modi’s video message to the youth of the nation.
