Highlight wrongdoing, get banned: Journalist flags media crackdown in Punjab
By Meena R. Prashant in Media News on Friday, 10th April 2026 at 11:04am
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday sought responses from the Centre, Facebook and the Punjab government on a petition filed by journalist Maninderjeet Sidhu, challenging the removal of his Facebook pages over alleged copyright violations.
Sidhu, an independent digital journalist, told Influencing India that the action against his platforms reflects a broader pattern targeting critical voices in Punjab. “What is happening in Punjab is different -- highlight any wrongdoing of the party and your social media page will be banned immediately,” he said.
Explaining how this operates, he added, “Official social media handles of news publications are illegally flagged claiming copyright violations. When repeatedly flagged, the page gets blocked. Similarly, I was targeted.”

To continue reading this article...
More Influencing|Tech
Dentsu India & IWMBuzz announce multi‑year alliance
By Staff Writer in Media News on Friday, 10th April 2026 at 11:08am
Upfront: Fuel security. Diesel shock returns
By Staff Writers in Media News on Friday, 10th April 2026 at 7:53am
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya clashes with journalists in Mumbai
By Staff Writer in Media News on Thursday, 09th April 2026 at 8:21pmChennai Police arrest YouTuber Savukku Shankar again
By Staff Writer in Media News on Thursday, 09th April 2026 at 8:15pmJournalist Devendra Sharma dies in road accident
By Staff Writer in Media News on Thursday, 09th April 2026 at 8:11pmMedia news latest
Marcoms news latest