‘Outlook’ Has X Account Withheld, Later Restored In India
New Delhi: Outlook's X account was withheld in India and later restored on Sunday (May 11), with the magazine saying the action was imposed without warning.
It is unclear what triggered the move against Outlook, which is the latest among a string of media houses or journalists to have their X accounts withheld in India in response to a legal demand.
Other accounts that X withheld from India due to legal demands are that of the BBC's Urdu service, The Kashmiriyat and Maktoob Media news outlets, and Jammu and Kashmir-based senior journalist Anuradha Bhasin. The first of these has since been restored.
After its account was withheld, Outlook said in a press release that its account was “blocked without any warning”.
“We have written to X, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to restore it immediately. We will keep the readers posted on the developments,” said Outlook.
It added: “Outlook has upheld the highest quality of objective and balanced journalism for thirty years, and will continue to do so.”
Once its account was restored on Sunday evening, the magazine said: “We appreciate the prompt response and thank our readers for their continued support.”
X had announced via its Global Government Affairs division on Thursday that it received orders from the Union government to withhold no less than 8,000 accounts on its platform and that it would comply with the demands despite disagreeing with them.
Subsequently, Global Government Affairs had its X account withheld and later restored in India.
The Wire had its website blocked in India on government orders on Friday and restored on Saturday. The Union information and broadcasting ministry informed The Wire that its site was blocked based on a request regarding a particular article on its website.
The developments occurred amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, which escalated into military operations by either side against the other until a ceasefire was announced on Saturday afternoon.
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