NEW DELHI: The Facebook account of Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav was restored on Saturday after he raised concerns about its suspension, asserting that his posts had been erroneously flagged. Yadav stated that the platform’s action followed his posts regarding the deaths of a journalist and a woman in Ballia. “I was informed that the objection was related to ‘Adult sexual exploitation and violence’. Upon reviewing the report, I found that the flagged posts pertained to a journalist’s murder and the suspicious death of a woman,” he explained.
Yadav’s posts addressed the pressures faced by journalists under the current BJP government. “In my post, I highlighted the threats to journalists, including murders and FIRs filed against them—typical tactics of the BJP. What was inappropriate about that?” he questioned, asserting that the suspension would not deter his activism. “We will persist with our grassroots efforts to enlighten the populace. That is where the true fight lies,” he added.
Following the restoration of his account, Yadav paid tribute to Jayaprakash Narayan on his birth anniversary, quoting him: “By total revolution, I mean seeing the most oppressed person in society at the pinnacle of power.”
His Facebook account, which boasts over 8.5 million followers, was suspended at approximately 6 PM on Friday. The precise reason for the action was not immediately available.
After the suspension, leaders from the Samajwadi Party accused the BJP of attempting to silence opposing views. SP leader Fakhrul Hasan Chaand expressed on X that the suspension was “an attack on democracy” and accused the BJP government of imposing “an undeclared emergency” to stifle dissent.
In contrast, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the government played no role in the suspension, asserting, “Facebook has acted according to its policy. There was a very abusive post on their account. The government has no involvement in this.”
