New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) International news agency Reuters鈥 X account has been withheld in India 鈥渋n response to a legal demand鈥, as per notice displayed by the social media platform.
However, a government spokesperson said there is no legal requirement made by it to withhold the account and it is working with X to resolve the issue.
Reuters鈥 X account is likely to be restored soon.
鈥淭here is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold Reuters and we are continuously working with X to resolve the problem,鈥 the spokesperson said.
Sources said a demand for blocking of Reuters鈥 X account alongside several hundreds of other accounts was made during Operation Sindoor in May.
While several accounts were blocked from accessing in India, Reuters handle wasn鈥檛.
Elon Musk-owned X seems to have now acted on that request and blocked Reuters鈥 X handle in India.
And since the issue isn鈥檛 relevant now, the government has asked X to explain the blocking and lift the embargo.
鈥淎n 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. Government has reached out to X for resolving it at the earliest,鈥 an official source said An email sent to Reuters seeking comments did not elicit a response.
While affiliated X handles such as Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China are accessible in India, both official X accounts of the global news agency as well as Reuters World handles are inaccessible.
X users attempting to access the main account can see a message that reads: 鈥淎ccount withheld. @ Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.鈥 On its help centre page, X explains such messages 鈥渁bout country withheld content鈥 means X was compelled to withhold the entire account specified or posts in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order or local laws. PTI PRS MBI ANZ HVA