New Delhi: The Indian government on Sunday, July 6, clarified it had no role in withholding the official X account of international news agency Reuters, which became inaccessible to users in India late Saturday.
The account currently displays a notice stating that it has been “withheld in response to a legal demand.”
According to a report by NDTV, a government spokesperson said there had been “no requirement from the Government of India to withhold Reuters”, and added that officials are “continuously working with X to resolve the problem.”
The clarification comes after growing speculation over the abrupt inaccessibility of the account, with no official statement yet from Reuters or X, the platform owned by Elon Musk.
Could Be Linked to Earlier Operation, Say Sources
According to a report by PTI, the restriction may be the result of an earlier legal request that was implemented with delay. During Operation Sindoor, a national security exercise involving temporary curbs on hundreds of social media accounts, the government had reportedly included Reuters’ X handle in a broader takedown list. However, Reuters’ account was not blocked at the time, while many others were.
Sources now believe the action on Reuters’ account may have been carried out belatedly and possibly in error. The issue is expected to be resolved soon, with the account likely to be restored, PTI reported.
Reuters Yet to Release Statement, Website Accessible
While the Reuters X account remains restricted in India, other affiliated handles such as Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, and Reuters Asia are still accessible in the country. The Reuters website also continues to function without any disruption.
However, there has been no official statement from Reuters at the time of writing this report. The main X page also remains unavailable for Indian users.
