Meta has restricted and subsequently removed a video of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis inviting Hindus to attend the World Hindu Congress in Mumbai, prompting the event’s organisers to seek government intervention and question the transparency of the platform’s content moderation process.
The World Hindu Congress 2026 organising committee said the video was posted on Facebook, Instagram and other platforms on October 26. According to the committee, access to the video in India was restricted within hours through a notification citing legal requirements under applicable information technology rules.
The organisers said they re-uploaded the video on the night of October 26, but that version was removed again on October 27. They have written to the Mumbai and Delhi police, the Union ministry of electronics and information technology, and Meta, seeking an explanation for the action, restoration of the video and an inquiry into whether the decision complied with applicable laws and rules.
The committee said Meta’s notification did not identify the specific statutory provision or platform policy used to restrict or remove the video. It has also asked the company to assure organisers that its content moderation rules will be applied consistently and without religious or ideological bias.
The allegation of bias has not been independently established. The information supplied by the organisers does not clarify whether the action followed a government direction, a legal order or Meta’s own content moderation process. Meta’s response was not included in the organisers’ statement.
The dispute places renewed attention on the way online platforms communicate decisions affecting public-interest and political content. For users and organisations, the difference between a restriction based on a government or court direction and one initiated under a platform’s internal policy can determine what explanation, review process or legal remedy is available. In this case, the organisers have said they received a reference to legal requirements but not the specific legal basis.
The video invited participants to the three-day World Hindu Congress scheduled in Mumbai from December 18 to 20. Maharashtra is hosting the event, whose theme is “Samanam Vratam Saha Chittam”, described by the organisers as shared resolve and collective determination.
The congress is organised by the World Hindu Foundation and is an initiative of Swami Vigyananand, joint general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The programme will include seven parallel conferences covering the economy, education, media, politics, women, youth and Hindu organisations. Participation is capped at 4,000 registered delegates.
Previous editions of the congress were held in New Delhi in 2014, Chicago in 2018 and Bangkok in 2023. The organisers have listed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Fadnavis, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council member Sanjeev Sanyal, NSE managing director and chief executive Ashishkumar Chauhan, ReNew founder-chairman Sumant Sinha and lyricist Manoj Muntashir among those whose participation has been confirmed.
The organisers’ letters to the authorities and Meta seek clarification on the action and the specific legal or policy basis for it. No response from Meta or the government was included in the statement available at the time of publication.
