Reuters' X account restored in India; Centre denies issuing takedown order

The official X account of international news agency Reuters was briefly blocked in India on Sunday but was later restored after the Indian government clarified it had not requested to withhold the account.

Access to the Reuters X account was restricted overnight in India on July 5, triggering speculation about the reasons behind the move. The government stated it had not issued any such directive and sought clarification from the Elon Musk-owned platform. X restored the account shortly after the government's intervention.

“All blocked channels on X have been opened now,” a government official confirmed. A random verification revealed that other media outlets previously blocked by X in India, including China's Global Times and Turkey’s TRT World, were also accessible again.

Earlier in the day, the message on X had indicated that Reuters' account had been “withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.” However, a government spokesperson clarified, “no legal requirement was made to withhold the account.”

Sources pointed to Operation Sindoor in May, during which a list of accounts, including Reuters, was flagged for potential blocking. While many accounts were acted upon at the time, Reuters' handle was not. It appears X acted on the earlier directive recently, even though the matter was no longer current.

“The issue isn't relevant now,” a source said, adding that the government contacted X for an explanation and requested the account be unblocked. The official handles of Global Times and TRT World were also withheld again, citing a “legal demand,” but the government maintained there was no need for such action.

“There is no requirement from the government of India to withhold the Global Times News/trtworld handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem,” the spokesperson reiterated. Meanwhile, several other accounts flagged during Operation Sindoor, such as Xinhua News, remained accessible to users in India without any disruptions.

An official source explained, “An order was issued on May 7 (during Operation Sindoor), but it was not enforced. X seems to have enforced that order now which is a mistake on their part. The government reached out to X to resolve it.”

Attempts to reach Reuters for comment via email went unanswered. While affiliated handles like Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China remained accessible, both the main Reuters and Reuters World accounts were blocked for users in India.

Visitors trying to access those accounts saw the message: “Account withheld. @Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.” X’s help centre notes that such actions indicate the platform has been “compelled to withhold the entire account specified or posted in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order or local laws.”
(With PTI Inputs)