Following this incident, India’s Ministry of Railways focused not only on rescue efforts and investigating crowd management but also on addressing social media posts critical of the government’s handling of the event.
The ministry used the Sahyog platform to issue notices to various social media companies, including Meta and Google, requesting the removal of posts deemed harmful by the Indian government. Most platforms complied, with the threat of losing their “intermediary immunity” status looming.
Until late last year, only two federal ministries, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (IT) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), could issue such takedown notices. However, in October 2024, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Sahyog platform, extending the power to issue takedown demands to all federal and state government agencies and even district-level officials and the police.
Since the launch of Sahyog, multiple government levels have requested the removal of content from 3,465 URLs through nearly 300 demands. Analysts suggest these numbers indicate a significant expansion of India’s censorship apparatus.
Furthermore, in April, a district-level police officer requested the removal of posts alleging local corruption on X (formerly Twitter), highlighting that these takedown requests often don’t involve national security concerns. Despite X not joining Sahyog, the platform still receives takedown requests. XP
Legal and tech policy experts criticise the lack of judicial review for the legal provision (Section 79) that Sahyog relies on, allowing the government to avoid Supreme Court safeguards established for Section 69a.
While the platform has raised concerns about freedom of speech, the Modi government has continued to expand its censorship powers, including during increased tensions between India and Pakistan, leading to widespread takedowns of social media accounts.
The government also banned 25 books in Indian-administered Kashmir, alleging they propagated “false narratives” and “secessionism”. The use of both Section 69a and the newer 79 led to a ramping up of takedown orders during these tensions.
While Sahyog is a government initiative, opposition-governed states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have also used its expansive nature to take down posts they deem problematic, showing a broader trend of utilizing such tools to curtail free speech.
