Nishikant Dubey Demands Mark Zuckerberg Apology Over PM Modi NEET Video

Nishikant Dubey demanded a personal apology. The chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee on communications and information technology on Monday warned Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg of regulatory action. He threatened to revoke the firm's safe-harbour protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act unless the tech executive complies.

The demand follows the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's video addressing students on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam paper leaks. The platform restricted the post for five hours from 12.30 am to 5 am on July 28, 2026.

"They themselves admitted that the video was taken down for five hours and remained unavailable from 12.30 am to 5 am. This is a very serious matter. The apology must come from Zuckerberg himself," Dubey told media persons after the meeting.

The remarks came after a three-hour meeting of the committee on "Social and Digital Platforms and their Regulation". Executives from Meta, Google, X, Snapchat and YouTube attended alongside Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Electronics and Information Technology Secretary S Krishnan.

During the meeting, Meta representatives informed the panel that the company was ready to apologise for the error.

Demands For Audit Trail

Dubey asked Meta to provide a complete audit trail of the post, tracking it from "report to restoration". In his opening remarks, Dubey said the restriction highlighted the need for greater oversight of Meta's content moderation processes, automated systems and recommendation algorithms.

Committee members questioned Meta representatives about "algorithm bias" that allegedly allowed objectionable content to circulate while restricting the Prime Minister's post. Meta executives apologised for the incident and expressed regret before the panel.

Dubey also called for a policy decision on whether these companies are publishers or intermediaries.

"If Zuckerberg does not apologise, the safe-harbour protection available to them under Section 79 should be withdrawn," Dubey said.

Debate Over Democratic Dissent

Opposition MPs pushed back against the questioning by Dubey and other BJP MPs. They said content moderation decisions on social media platforms should not be subject to political influence. They also raised concerns about privacy and compliance with Indian laws, maintaining that criticism of the government cannot be equated with anti-national content.

Congress MP Shafi Parambil told the meeting that "technology should be regulated, not democracy", emphasising that dissent cannot be criminalised.

Instagram played a crucial role in the NEET protests, acting as a platform to air discontent and mobilise protesters. The BJP criticised many reels shared by protesters as "distasteful" — a concern PM Modi also shared.

But the committee was unanimous on the need for stronger action against social media content involving child sexual abuse and the sexual abuse of women.

History Of Platform Friction

Meta had earlier attributed the removal of the video to an error and restored it. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology found the company's explanation inadequate. The ministry had previously summoned Meta's global team over the temporary restriction.

Dubey alleged the incident reflected a pattern of conduct by Meta, questioning its handling of content.

"This is not the first time Meta has done such a thing. In January, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg had said that PM Modi lost the 2024 election. He is still our Prime Minister, so which election is he talking about? Mr. Zuckerberg had later apologised for his remarks. This shows that his intention is to destabilise the country," Dubey said.

"When a video of the Prime Minister of India can be removed, and they themselves admitted that the content was missing for five hours, from 12.30 a.m. to 5 a.m., it raises serious questions," Dubey added.