Instagram restricts Indian political cartoonist's account

Instagram has restricted access to the account of Indian political cartoonist Rakesh Ranjan, @cartoonistrrsofficial, for users based in India. A notice issued by the platform on October 27, 2026, stated that the account was made unavailable due to repeated legal requirements to restrict content.

While the notice references India’s Information Technology Rules of 2021, it fails to specify the issuing authority or the particular legal order behind the action. Ranjan has previously faced takedown requests regarding satirical depictions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with digital rights groups documenting earlier instances of content removal on his account.

The lack of transparency regarding the specific legal basis for this account-level restriction has prompted scrutiny regarding content moderation frameworks. Unlike historical cases where state authorities publicly pursued legal action against political satirists, the current process operates through automated platform compliance, leaving creators with limited recourse to challenge or understand the scope of the restrictions.