Facebook removes Manorama News clip of V D Satheesan interview on police directive

A portion of the interview of Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, aired on Manorama News, has been removed by Facebook following a direction from the Kerala Police. The reel, featuring excerpts from a conversation between V D Satheesan and Manorama News News Director Johny Lukose, was restricted in India around Wednesday noon.

The cyber operations wing of the Kerala Police had issued a notice to Facebook under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000, seeking to block access to the interview in India. The interview, recorded on Tuesday, was broadcast live on Manorama News and also published on its social media platforms. It included criticism of the government in connection with the Assembly elections, as well as discussions on UDF’s guarantees, promises, and internal party matters. Although the link to the reel containing key excerpts from the one-hour interview is still available on Facebook, the video cannot be viewed in India.

The Kerala Police initially denied issuing a notice to Facebook, but later admitted to it. The police clarified that the directive was issued suo motu after noticing abusive comments in the video’s comment section.

According to the cyber wing, the request was only to remove the comments. However, the action was taken as heated exchanges in the comment section could potentially lead to conflict.

There was no content in the removed reel that violated Facebook’s policies or guidelines, or any legal provisions including the IT Act. Facebook has also indicated in its notification that the content did not breach its guidelines.

Manorama News has filed a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer and the State Police Chief against the removal of the video posted on its official Facebook page.