By Wajiha
The government of India has taken the step to block the X account of US-based journalist and author Azad Essa following an official order. The move comes just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Israel to deepen strategic cooperation.
X, formerly Twitter, informed Essa that it had received a directive from the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. As a result, the platform withheld his account within India. However, the notification did not specify the exact reason for the action.
Platform Cites Legal Order
According to Essa, who serves as a senior reporter at Middle East Eye and authored Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel, the platform advised him to seek legal remedy through Indian courts if he wished to challenge the decision. Nevertheless, X clarified that it could not provide legal advice.
Essa told TRT World that authorities did not explain the restriction. He suggested that officials may have targeted his reporting on India-Israel relations and the Kashmir dispute. Moreover, he criticised X for complying without publicly detailing the government’s justification.
Diplomatic Timing Raises Questions
Meanwhile, the blocking coincides with expanding diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Tel Aviv. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Modi’s upcoming visit and outlined plans to strengthen bilateral ties through a broader regional alliance framework.
Putting it shortly, Essa suffered fromyears of harassment, including threats and disinformation campaigns, linked to his investigative reporting. Also, he added that other journalists and researchers have encountered similar pressure. As a consequence, the latest action has intensified concerns about press freedom and online censorship during a sensitive diplomatic period.
