Why is Reuters' X Account Blocked in India? Government Clarifies Situation

Reuters' X Account Faces Block in India

New Delhi: The X account of the global news agency Reuters has been blocked in India due to a purported legal demand, as indicated by a notice on the platform.

A government representative, however, stated that no official legal order was issued and confirmed that efforts are underway to resolve the issue with X.

It is anticipated that Reuters' X account will be reinstated shortly.

"The Government of India has not mandated the withholding of Reuters, and we are actively collaborating with X to address the situation," the spokesperson remarked.

Reports suggest that during Operation Sindoor in May, a request was made to block Reuters' X account along with numerous others.

While many accounts were restricted in India, the Reuters handle remained accessible until now.

It appears that X, owned by Elon Musk, has recently complied with that request and blocked the Reuters account in India.

Given that the circumstances have changed, the government has requested X to clarify the reasons for the block and to lift the restriction.

"An order was issued on May 7 during Operation Sindoor, but it was not acted upon. X seems to have mistakenly enforced that order now. The government is in contact with X to resolve this promptly," an official source stated.

An inquiry sent to Reuters for comments did not receive a reply.

While other affiliated X accounts like Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China remain accessible in India, the main accounts of the global news agency and Reuters World are currently unavailable.

Users trying to access the primary account encounter a message stating: "Account withheld. @Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand."

According to X's help center, such notifications regarding country-specific withheld content indicate that X was required to restrict the entire account or specific posts due to a legitimate legal demand, such as a court order or local regulations.