# India: Gaon Savera's Facebook and X accounts blocked

Published 2026-09-23. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 2 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The sources reviewed do not identify which government agency requested the blocks or state whether they were later lifted.

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.[1][2][3]

- Country: [India](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/in) (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)
- Where: India
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Shutdowns and blocking
- Stage: Silence (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/shutdowns_and_blocking#stage-silence)
- Ladder note: India blocked an independent outlet's Facebook and X accounts nationwide ahead of an event it planned to cover, without a stated reason; the White House ban limited three outlets' building access, not their reach online.
- Head of government at the time: [Narendra Modi](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/narendra-modi)
- Issue of the day: Not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Outcome: Unknown. CPJ called on India to restore access; the source reviewed does not report whether the accounts were later unblocked.
- Era: The 2020s

## 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.[1][2][3]

Unresolved as of the source reviewed.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

Not stated in the sources reviewed.[1][2][3]

## 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

- 2023-08-21: India: Gaon Savera's Facebook and X accounts blocked

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Narendra Modi](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/narendra-modi) | other | Prime Minister of India |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Gaon Savera](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/gaon-savera) | outlet | affected |

## Sources

1. India blocks social media accounts of Gaon Savera news outlet ahead of workers' convention. https://cpj.org/2023/08/india-blocks-social-media-accounts-of-gaon-savera-news-outlet-ahead-of-workers-convention/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-08-24).
2. Gaon Savera's social media handles blocked after 'correspondence' from Indian government. https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/08/23/gaon-saveras-social-media-handles-blocked-after-correspondence-from-indian-government (Newslaundry (Indian independent outlet), 2023-08-23).

## Claims cited

[1] CPJ's demand following the blocks. Quote: "Authorities in India must immediately unblock the social media accounts of the independent news website Gaon Savera" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-08-24. India blocks social media accounts of Gaon Savera news outlet ahead of workers' convention. https://cpj.org/2023/08/india-blocks-social-media-accounts-of-gaon-savera-news-outlet-ahead-of-workers-convention/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/545, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] Timeline of the two platform blocks. Quote: "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" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-08-24. India blocks social media accounts of Gaon Savera news outlet ahead of workers' convention. https://cpj.org/2023/08/india-blocks-social-media-accounts-of-gaon-savera-news-outlet-ahead-of-workers-convention/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/655, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] CPJ's description of Gaon Savera as an independent news outlet in its report on the blocks. Quote: "the independent news website Gaon Savera" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-08-24. India blocks social media accounts of Gaon Savera news outlet ahead of workers' convention. https://cpj.org/2023/08/india-blocks-social-media-accounts-of-gaon-savera-news-outlet-ahead-of-workers-convention/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/656, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-india-blocks-gaon-savera-accounts. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.