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Satish Acharya discovered on October 21, 2026, that his Instagram account had been blocked in India for the second time in three weeks, according to a BBC News report published on October 26. The 55-year-old cartoonist’s profile was first restricted from September 28 until October 6, during which users in India could not locate it through search or direct links and encountered a message citing the country’s Information Technology Rules. Fellow cartoonist Manjul had a post restricted around the same period for criticising the Election Commission’s revision of voter rolls, though his overall profile remained accessible, the BBC report detailed. Acharya told the BBC that Meta platforms had been restricting the reach of his cartoons for some years, adding that the full profile block left him a little sad after he received no reply to his inquiries with the company.
According to an interview with Alt News published on October 7, Acharya described the action as shameful and said the government appeared scared that cartoons could demolish narratives built by the regime over the last two decades. He noted that several of his earlier posts from 2023 and 2024 had also been targeted under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. Manjul’s restricted cartoon depicted decision-making at the commission in a manner referencing recent controversies, Scroll.in reported on September 30. Both artists had created works addressing an investigation by The Indian Express into the commission’s special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
The cases form part of a larger pattern in which political cartoonists across India have seen their online content curtailed, a Newslaundry investigation from February 24, 2026, found. At least three sets of cartoonists and one publication encountered restrictions citing legal requests from Haryana law enforcement or central authorities, with platforms stating they complied with local law though specific provisions often remained undisclosed. Kolkata-based illustrators known as Bob and Bobby had seven reels blocked on January 28, 2026, following a similar request, according to the same Newslaundry report that highlighted impacts on their livelihoods from reduced visibility.
Government agencies sent nearly 195,000 blocking and content-restriction orders to platforms including Instagram, Facebook and YouTube between March and July through the Sahyog portal, The Indian Express reported in figures cited by BBC News. Technology policy expert Prateek Waghre told the BBC that authorities are increasingly employing such legal orders to regulate online material. A report from IFEX on October 3, 2026, documented additional instances involving cartoonists like Vishal Mishra and Rakesh Ranjan, whose works addressing foreign policy and domestic issues faced takedown notices from platforms including X and Meta.
Reporters Without Borders data places India 157th in its World Press Freedom Index, a ranking that has drawn criticism from advocacy groups over diminishing space for independent voices. During the 1975 Emergency, cartoonist Abu Abraham continued producing satirical works despite official censorship stamps on dozens of his pieces, a separate BBC article recalled. The shift toward social media allowed contemporary cartoonists to amass substantial audiences when traditional outlets encountered constraints, yet recent restrictions have targeted that very reach, according to analyses from The Wire and Outlook India.
The Freedom Cartoonists Foundation’s report covering 2023 to 2025, released in February 2026 in partnership with Reporters Without Borders, highlighted global increases in censorship and online harassment of satirists, with cases from India featuring prominently among those linked to political content. In one instance detailed by The Wire on April 1, 2026, a satirical animation about the prime minister prompted temporary blocks on associated accounts. Cartoonists have responded by creating works defending the need for free satire, with one collective statement carried by Scroll.in asserting that satire must remain free amid the mounting platform limitations.
