India's cartoonists built an audience online – now their posts are being restricted

ByNikita Yadav BBC News, Delhi.

Key points

• In 2012, cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was arrested on sedition charges over cartoons allegedly mocking the Indian constitution.
• Kunal Kamra, known for his jokes regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party, has faced threats, cancelled indicates and legal action.
• For the second time in three weeks, Indian cartoonist Satish Acharya discovered himself effectively invisible on Instagram in his own country.
• Anyone trying to access his profile saw a message saying it was unavailable under India's Information Technology Rules.
• Cartoons have been a fixture of Indian journalism since independence, with RK Laxman's Common Man becoming one of its most recognisable characters.

In practice, the 55-year-old discovered on Tuesday that his account had once again been briefly blocked in India, allegedly with no explanation from the platform.

Just a few weeks ago, another cartoonist, Manjul, had discovered that Instagram had restricted a post criticising India's election commission over its controversial revision of voter rolls. His profile remained accessible.

Notably, the cases have triggered concern regarding the apply of legal orders to restrict political satire in India, with cartoonists saying they are often given little explanation for why their work has been blocked.

When users in India could neither find his profile through search nor access it through a web link, acharaya's account was first restricted from 28 September to 6 October.

In practice, the rules allow authorities and courts to order social media platforms to remove or restrict content.

Meanwhile, the administration states they support tackle unlawful material, but artists and free-speech advocates warn they can stifle India's rich tradition of political satire.

"Meta platforms have been restricting the reach of my cartoons for some years, " Acharya informed the BBC. "But when my entire profile was restricted in India, I was a little sad."

He wrote to Meta, Instagram's parent firm, but received no reply. He notes he was preparing to go to court when his account became accessible again in early October, only to be blocked again earlier this week for three days.

In an official note, Meta informed the BBC that may temporarily restrict accounts to comply with India's IT Rules but did not explain the specific reasons for restricting Acharya's account or Manjul's post.

Critics say the restrictions come as humour and satire play an increasingly visible role in political dissent in India, particularly among younger individuals.

Memes and Gen-Z humour supported fuel protests over education and jobs in July. It led to the resignation of India's education minister. Online debate has additionally intensified over a controversial revision of voter rolls that removed 130 million names.

Meanwhile, the political significance of social media has not been lost on the administration. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pressed ministers to strengthen their online presence and connect with younger audiences.

Meanwhile, technology policy expert Prateek Waghre notes the administration is increasingly using legal orders to regulate online content.

Meanwhile, the Indian Express documented, external that administration agencies sent almost 195, 000 blocking and content-restriction orders to platforms including Instagram, Facebook and YouTube between March and July through the federal government's Sahyog portal.

Notably, the figures, obtained through a right-to-information request, do not show how plenty of posts were ultimately restricted or removed. The BBC has not seen the original response.

While X appears more willing to push back, waghre notes that some platforms, particularly Meta, "seem more willing to comply", he states. But limited public data makes comparisons tough. Meta declined to comment on his assessment.

Meanwhile, the administration has additionally reportedly sought greater scrutiny of how social media platforms recommend content.

Earlier this week, a number of media outlets noted, external that authorities had asked Meta to ensure its systems did not steer users towards "a single or limited set of narratives" and strengthen checks on content that could "cause public disorder or incite violence".

Notably, the BBC has sought comment from India's IT ministry on the restrictions and documented instructions to Meta but has not received a response.

Of course, political satire has a long history in India – as do attempts to curb it.

But cartoonists have additionally faced censorship. When civil liberties were suspended and the press was tightly controlled, Abu Abraham continued drawing, even as dozens of his cartoons were stamped "not passed by censors", during the Emergency in the 1970s.

In 2012, cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was arrested on sedition charges over cartoons allegedly mocking the Indian constitution. The charges were afterwards dropped.

Today, reservations concerning restrictions on political expression extend beyond cartoonists. While critics accuse the administration of putting growing pressure on independent media, india ranks 157th in Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index. The administration rejects the criticism, saying India's media remains free and vibrant.

Comedians have additionally faced controversy over political satire. Kunal Kamra, known for his jokes regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party, has faced threats, cancelled indicates and legal action.

For cartoonists, nevertheless, challenging those in power is central to their work.

"We are among the default opposition, " notes Sandeep Adhwaryu, a cartoonist at a leading Indian newspaper.

"The nature of the craft is to oppose, " he notes, adding that cartoonists, like journalists, must question whoever holds power.

Acharya notes he has followed that principle throughout his career. Before 2014, plenty of of his cartoons targeted the Congress-led administration and were shared by BJP leaders.

"I never faced official restrictions on my cartoons during the previous governments, though there would be some trolling occasionally, " he notes.

Now, with the BJP in power, much of his satire is directed at Modi's administration.

Social media has allowed independent cartoonists like Acharya to reach audiences without relying on newspapers or other traditional outlets.

"We are not associated with newspapers or any mainstream media. That's why we can draw, " notes Manjul.

But that freedom comes with a new vulnerability – dependence on platforms that can restrict their work or cut off access to their audiences.

No one knows this better than Rachita Taneja, the creator of the hugely popular Instagram comic Sanitary Panels.

"My career would not have existed without the internet, " she informed the BBC. Yet she describes social media as a double-edged sword.

"At the end of the day it's a for-profit endeavour that answers to advertisers, " she notes.

In short, india' s cartoonists built an audience online – now their posts are being is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.