New Delhi: Meta has restored the WhatsApp account of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das after it was briefly suspended on Wednesday,
with people familiar with the matter saying the action was the result of an automated system error. The incident came as the party accused Meta of blocking its social media presence during its ongoing protests over the alleged NEET examination irregularities.
Das had alleged on X that his WhatsApp account was blocked on suspicion without any explanation and questioned whether the action had been taken under external directions. As per The Economic Times, individuals who know about the incident stated that Meta wasn’t approached by the government to shut down the account, and the block had been imposed by its automated enforcement systems. Since then, it has been restored.
Meta says suspension was an automated error
Meta’s temporary ban triggered a complaint from the CJP that the company was limiting its ability to communicate online at a time when the issue was politically charged. Party president Abhijeet Dipke also alleged that CJP’s Instagram account had been blocked prior to their restoration. Meta also said that the WhatsApp account had been wrongly suspended by them.
There hasn’t been a detailed public announcement from WhatsApp about why the account was flagged. In general, the platform deactivates accounts that are involved in spam and other suspicious activities, as well as those that are used by a user who has repeatedly complained about them or if the user uses an unofficial version of the application. But no evidence of any of these reasons in Das’s case.
Protests continue at Jantar Mantar
The incident comes as CJP workers have continued to protest at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, against alleged irregularities in the NEET exam and the resignation of Union Minister for Education (UME) Dharmendra Pradhan. CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, addressing the protest, said the party would go on its agitation till Pradhan resigns.
The protest coincided with the Monsoon Session of Parliament when Parliament was held in central Delhi with stringent security measures throughout the city. Delhi Police said that it had neither got intimation nor granted permission for the proposed march ‘Sansad Chalo’ and warned that action will be taken against any unauthorised march. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) is still applicable in the New Delhi district, while several metro stations were temporarily closed as a precaution.
