Virat Kohli’s Instagram account disappears overnight, back online in the morning
New Delhi: Indian star cricketer Virat Kohli sent the internet into a frenzy on Thursday night after his official Instagram account suddenly became inaccessible. However, the verified account, followed by over 274 million users, was restored on Friday morning after remaining unavailable for several hours.
Users attempting to open Kohli’s profile on Thursday night were shown a message stating that the page was unavailable, triggering confusion over whether the account had been deleted, deactivated, or temporarily suspended. The sudden disappearance quickly drew attention, given Kohli’s massive global following and strong social media presence.
Within minutes, hashtags related to Kohli began trending on X and other platforms. Fans shared screenshots of the error message and speculated about possible reasons behind the issue. While some suggested the cricketer may have chosen to step away from social media, others pointed to a technical glitch on Instagram’s side. A few users also raised concerns about a possible hacking attempt, though there was no confirmation to support such claims.
Adding to the speculation, Kohli’s brother Vikas Kohli’s Instagram account was also found to be inaccessible during the same period. While Virat Kohli’s account became active again around 8.30 am on Friday, his brother’s profile remained unavailable at the time of writing.
Kohli’s Instagram account has long been a major channel through which he connects with fans, sharing updates related to cricket, fitness, brand partnerships, and personal moments with his family. During the brief outage, his X account remained active.
The episode also triggered a wave of humour online, with worried fans flooding the comment section of Kohli’s wife and actor Anushka Sharma’s Instagram posts seeking answers. Comments such as “Bhaabhi, bhaiya ka account kahan gaya?” quickly went viral, turning concern into a meme fest. Anushka, however, did not respond to the comments.
As of now, neither Kohli nor his management team has issued any official statement explaining the reason behind the temporary disappearance. Instagram has also not clarified whether the issue was caused by a technical glitch or a policy-related action.
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Karnataka Minister Reddy, Mohandas Pai spat over public transport
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has defended the state-run public transport system and the government's 'Shakti' scheme amid a social media spat with IT industry veteran T V Mohandas Pai over the role of private operators, asserting that public transport is a right, not a luxury.
The sharp exchange began after former Chief Finance Officer of Infosys, Pai, alleged a shortage of buses and lack of public transport, while urging the minister to allow private buses to provide service.
"All we have got is shortage of buses and lack of public transport for last 3 years. (Earlier too) Please allow private buses to provide service," Pai alleged in a post on 'X' late on Thursday.
The IT industry veteran accused Reddy of having thoroughly failed to ensure adequate public transport because of his "dogmatic attitude" saying only PSY works.
"Why? People need public transport irrespective of who provides it," he said, tagging Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in his post.
Reacting to criticism, Reddy defended the state-run transport corporations and challenged Pai to a public debate.
"Mr. @TVMohandasPai, Our BMTC MD is enough to handle a face-to-face debate with you on any platform. Kindly come and discuss the facts with them directly. Are you ready to step up, or will you just keep tweeting?," he said in a post on 'X'.
The transport minister said that Pai's view is not just "biased, it is fundamentally dogmatic," arguing that, "You (Pai) look at a public service and see a balance sheet; I look at it and see 1.5 crore citizens."
Highlighting the state government's Shakti scheme, the minister claimed that, "We have crossed 650 crore+ free trips for women. This isn't just a "scheme"; it is the greatest mobility-led economic empowerment in India's history."
"The "Social Service" Balance: Unlike private players, we don't cherry-pick. 30 per cent of our routes operate at a loss to ensure a student and rural citizens in a remote village has a bus. 30 per cent operate at break-even. 40 per cent (long-distance) generate the profit that sustains the rest. 98 per cent of villages have bus connectivity across state. This is how you serve a society, not a board of directors," he added.
Reddy pointed out that Karnataka operates 26,054 buses; in Bengaluru alone, nearly 45 lakh commuters are served daily.
"With a fleet of 7,108 buses--including 1,686 electric buses--we cover over 13 lakh km and 66,000 trips every day, the highest in India. Show me a single BJP-ruled city or state, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, that matches this scale and efficiency," he said.
According to him, in just the last two years, 5,800 plus new buses have been inducted and by March 2026, another 2,000 plus buses will be on the roads.
"During the BJP tenure (2019-2023), when bus inductions were frozen and corporations were left to rot, why didn't you raise a single question? Why does your "corporate concern" only wake up when a pro-people government is performing," he alleged.
Reddy further claimed that private operators shut down the moment profits dip. How would that help a common man in Bengaluru who earns a daily wage?
"A private monopoly would be a crushing burden on the poor. Public transport is a right, not a luxury. Our PSUs are here to stay, to serve, and to lead Karnataka," he added.
