Government says no order to withhold Reuters handle on X in India

The Indian government has clarified that it has not issued any directive to withhold the X (formerly Twitter) account of international news agency Reuters in the country.

“There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold Reuters handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem,” an official spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.

This clarification comes after Reuters’ X account was found to be withheld in India, prompting concerns over press freedom and censorship. Users attempting to access the handle were shown a notice stating that the account had been withheld “in response to a legal demand.”


Reuters confirmed the development earlier, saying it was seeking more information on why its handle was blocked in India.

The move had drawn criticism from journalists and free speech advocates, who raised questions about the increasing instances of social media takedowns in India.