Following protests from the Tamil Nadu BJP regarding a cartoon depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi with chained hands, Vikatan, a legacy media group in Tamil Nadu, reported that its website was “blocked” on Saturday night.
The cartoon in question seemingly alluded to Modi’s silence on the issue of US authorities handcuffing and deporting illegal immigrants back to India during his meeting with then-US President Donald Trump4.
Despite the website remaining accessible to some users both within and outside India on certain browsers and phones, BJP leaders shared images indicating the website was inaccessible.
Amidst the uncertainty surrounding the alleged ban, Vikatan released a statement late Saturday night, affirming its century-long commitment to freedom of expression.
The statement read, “We have always operated with the principle of upholding free speech and will continue to do so. We are still trying to ascertain the reasons behind the blocking of our website and are in the process of taking up this matter with the ministry”.
As of now, there has been no official announcement from the central government regarding the blocking of the Vikatan website.
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