Factchecker Zubair says X posts withheld in India after govt order
Meta restricts access to several Facebook pages
New Delhi/Bengaluru: Fact-checker and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair said that several of his posts on social media platform X have been withheld in India following a government order issued under provisions of the Information Technology Act.
Zubair said on Tuesday that he received an email from X informing him that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had issued a blocking order under Section 69A of the IT Act. The platform conveyed that it was legally bound to restrict access to the specified content within India. The mail further stated that the posts would continue to remain visible outside the country, adding that it was unable to share further details due to legal restrictions and suggested that the order could be challenged before a court or taken up with the ministry concerned.
According to Zubair, the posts identified by authorities included videos purportedly showing incidents of violence during Ram Navami processions. Questioning the move, Zubair alleged that the content was shared by him to counter what he described as misleading narratives had been targeted.
In a related development, access to several Facebook pages has also been restricted in India. Users attempting to visit the pages of Molitics, National Dastak and satirist Rajeev Nigam are shown a notice stating that the content is unavailable in India in compliance with a legal request.
National Dastak said it had received a communication citing Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. Molitics editor Neeraj Jha said the page had been restricted domestically and that no reasons were provided. Rajeev Nigam also stated that his page would no longer be visible to users in India following the action.
The government is empowered to direct intermediaries to block public access to content on grounds of national security and public order under Section 69A of the IT Act. Section 79(3)(b) provides that intermediaries may lose safe harbour protection if they fail to comply with government directions to remove unlawful content.
Government data shows that more than 1.11 lakh pieces of online content had been blocked as of March 31, 2025, with reports indicating that the Union Home Ministry has been issuing an average of around 290 takedown notices per day.
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Jazeera likely to operate bi-weekly charter flights between Kuwait-M'luru via Dammam from April 8
Mangaluru: Kuwaiti low-cost carrier, Jazeera Airways will likely operate special bi-weekly charter flights between Kuwait and Mangaluru via Dammam starting April 8, 2026, sources said.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has reportedly granted permission for the special operations. The flights will operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.
As per the plan, passengers will be ferried from Kuwait to Dammam by road, a journey of around six hours. The route will include a mandatory stop at the Saudi border for checks before reaching Dammam airport, from where they will board the flight to Mangaluru. A similar process will be followed on the return journey, with a stop at the Kuwait border for mandatory checks.
Flight J9 3417 will depart Kuwait at 8.40 am (local time) and arrive in Mangaluru at 4.10 pm IST. On the return leg, Flight J9 3418 will depart Mangaluru at 4.55 pm IST and reach Kuwait at 7.40 pm (local time).
Jazeera Airways had earlier operated special charter flights to Mangaluru during the global pandemic.
The airline is also considering increasing the frequency from two to four flights per week, subject to approvals from the authorities, sources added.
