Incident
India: Gaon Savera's Facebook and X accounts blocked
India blocked independent news outlet Gaon Savera's Facebook page and X account nationwide just before a workers' convention it planned to cover, without a public explanation from the government.123
What happened
On Monday, August 21, 2023, users in India found that Gaon Savera, an independent news outlet, could no longer be reached on Facebook, where its page had become inaccessible inside the country. The following day, the outlet's account on X, formerly known as Twitter, was blocked as well. The blocks came just ahead of a workers' convention that Gaon Savera had planned to cover. Neither Facebook's parent company Meta nor the Indian government publicly explained why the accounts were blocked in India specifically, rather than removed worldwide, a pattern consistent with a government request under India's information-technology rules rather than a platform policy violation. The outlet's website remained reachable, but readers who normally found its reporting through social media lost that access during the period covered by the source reviewed.123
Unresolved as of the source reviewed.123
What reason was given
Stated justification
What changed for reporting
The blocks cut off Gaon Savera's main channels for reaching readers on social media just before an event it intended to cover, without any public accounting from the authorities.1
Timeline
2023
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Narendra Modi | other | Prime Minister of India |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Gaon Savera | outlet | affected |
Sources
- India blocks social media accounts of Gaon Savera news outlet ahead of workers' convention
- Gaon Savera's social media handles blocked after 'correspondence' from Indian government
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- CPJ's demand following the blocks.
Authorities in India must immediately unblock the social media accounts of the independent news website Gaon Savera
India blocks social media accounts of Gaon Savera news outlet ahead of workers' convention, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-08-24.Claim 545, checked 2026-09-22. - Timeline of the two platform blocks.
On Monday, August 21, Gaon Savera's Facebook page became inaccessible in India, and its account on X, formerly known as Twitter, was also blocked the following day
India blocks social media accounts of Gaon Savera news outlet ahead of workers' convention, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-08-24.Claim 655, checked 2026-09-22. - CPJ's description of Gaon Savera as an independent news outlet in its report on the blocks.
the independent news website Gaon Savera
India blocks social media accounts of Gaon Savera news outlet ahead of workers' convention, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-08-24.Claim 656, checked 2026-09-22.