Reuters X account blocked in India, Centre says no request made

Reuters had recently reported Chinese foreign ministry statement on Tibet. "China hopes India will stop using Tibet issues to interfere in domestic affairs and avoid affecting the development of ties." 

Bengaluru: The official X handle of international news agency Reuters has been withheld in India, said X late night on Saturday. No official statement has been released by the media house or the central government yet. The main X handle of Reuters and Reuters World could not be accessed since Saturday night. with the page displaying a “@Reuters/@ReutersWorld has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand."

Reuters had recently reported Chinese foreign ministry statement on Tibet, calling it their domestic affair. "China hopes India will stop using Tibet issues to interfere in domestic affairs and avoid affecting the development of ties," Reuters had reported. The statement, reported by Reuters, came shortly after Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju stated that only the Dalai Lama and his trust could choose the successor. 

Other Reuters-affiliated X accounts, such as Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Pictures, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China, can be accessed in India. Reuters is the news and media division of Thomson Reuters. It is one of the world’s largest multimedia news provider, in sectors such as business, financial, national and international news.

Government says no complaint filed

A government spokesperson stated that no complaint was made to X for withholding the account. “We are working with X to resolve the issue. The Government of India has not asked for Reuters account to be withheld in India,” they added. The central government had asked X to block thousands of accounts in India during Operation Sindoor. According to reports, X was late to act on the request and blocked Reuters now.

“An order was issued on May 7 during Operation Sindoor, but it was not enforced at the time. It appears that X has now acted on that order, which seems to be a mistake on their part. The government has contacted X to resolve the issue as soon as possible," an official told PTI.