Indian comic says parody removed as voter roll protests intensify
Stand-up comic Brijesh Jha said Instagram removed his parody video after it criticized the election commissioner and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party. The video, which had 1.7 million views, alleged that millions of voters were disenfranchised through a voter roll revision. The report says the process has removed more than 130 million voters, many of them Muslims, amid growing protests over the election chief.
Comic Brijesh Jha said his Instagram parody was taken down two days after posting on 29 September. It had drawn 1.7 million views. Meta attributed removal to local regulations but did not elaborate. Jha linked the deletion to government anxiety after an Indian Express investigation.
That probe reported that two election commissioners repeatedly objected to decisions tied to the voter-roll overhaul. The revision, begun in June last year, has removed over 130 million voters, almost 14 percent of the electorate, disproportionately Muslims. Protests have demanded the election chief step down.
The takedown and protests may deepen public distrust in electoral institutions, especially among voters removed from rolls or belonging to affected communities. Artists and online commentators could face greater caution or self-censorship if platforms remove political satire. Continued demonstrations may pressure officials, but could also polarize supporters and critics of the government. The outcome may shape how citizens view voting access and digital speech in India.