A terrorist attack in Jammu’s Reasi district has sparked a storm of controversy and allegations of bias on Instagram. Gunmen opened fire on Hindu pilgrims returning from the Shiv Khori temple on June 9th, killing nine people and injuring more than forty others. As news spread about the attacks, “All Eyes on Reasi,” a social media campaign was launched following an earlier “All Eyes on Rafah” fashion.
However, this decision by Instagram to ban the hashtag “All Eyes on Reasi” while permitting the movement “All Eyes on Rafah” has caused public consternation. Critics claim that by censoring certain things selectively, Meta’s policies are partly biased. Lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha criticized Instagram for its apparent double standards in a post X he had made out of frustration. In reaction to this backlash against it, there is also trending hashtag ‘uninstall instagram’ on X which shows growing frustrations among users.
There are reports suggesting that actors were paid to participate in or promote #All eyes on
rafah which has added fuel to the fire. Such revelations have further compounded claims of
selective outrage and censorship with some pointing towards vengeance towards Hindu
victims too.
Instagram is not the only site which has been controversial. In YouTube India, the nationalist
contents are also shadow banned and demonetized. Notably Ajeet Bharti and Rohan Dua
have flagged a systematic suppression of their videos particularly in support of the BJP,
raising issues about whether these platforms can remain unbiased during crucial times like
elections.
Likewise, OpenAI recently unearthed an undisclosed influence campaign by an Israeli
company called STOIC to manipulate AI-generated content in order to sway India election
results through this channel. This operation sought after Indian voters with messages that
were opposed to JP and in favor of Congress, thereby heightening concerns about foreign
meddling in India’s democracy.
Consequently, as the controversy surrounding social media bias deepens, more pressure is
being piled on the Indian government to address these worries and guarantee equal
treatment for all perspectives. The handling of Instagram’s “All Eyes on Reasi” trend has not
only generated anger but also raised serious questions about how social media molds public
conversation.
