Meta India Head Booked: Police Probe 'Offensive' Posts Amid CJP Protests

Hyderabad Cybercrime Police have lodged a case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas and several social media accounts for allegedly circulating 'morphed' and 'AI-generated' content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests. This move escalates the ongoing tension between India's government and major tech platforms over online content, with Meta stating it is 'cooperating' with the investigation. The complaints, filed by Telangana BJP members, accuse the posts of being derogatory, misleading, and capable of inciting hatred and disturbing public order, listing around 20 URLs as evidence. The CJP, a youth-led satirical movement, gained prominence this year through protests over the NEET paper leak scandal, which even led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July. This incident comes on the heels of earlier government scrutiny of Meta, including a summons for briefly restricting a PM Modi post, highlighting the delicate balance social media companies face in navigating content policies in India. Police are now tracing the operators of the flagged accounts and examining Meta role in content moderation, especially regarding AI-generated material. The booking of a top executive like Arun Srinivas is a rare step, signaling that Indian authorities are willing to use criminal law against platform leadership for content violations. The outcome of this case could set a significant precedent for how social media platforms handle political content and deepfakes in one of their largest markets.