16-hour blackout: Akhilesh Yadav’s Facebook page returns, SP cries foul

In a digital twist that sent ripples through Uttar Pradesh’s political circles, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s official Facebook page — a major conduit for his public outreach — was mysteriously deactivated for nearly 16 hours before being restored on Saturday, 11 October. The episode, which the SP dubbed a “BJP conspiracy”, has sparked questions over political interference and online censorship.

According to party officials, Yadav’s page abruptly went offline on Friday evening without any prior warning or explanation from Meta. Initially, party functionaries dismissed it as a routine technical glitch, but as the silence from Facebook persisted, suspicions deepened.

When the page finally resurfaced, Akhilesh Yadav broke the silence with a poignant post quoting Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan: “By ‘total revolution,’ I mean seeing the most oppressed people in society at the pinnacle of power.”

The quote, steeped in symbolism, was widely interpreted by SP supporters as a veiled message of defiance and resilience in the face of alleged attempts to suppress dissenting voices.

Though Yadav refrained from directly accusing anyone, SP spokesperson Dr. Ashutosh Verma demanded a formal probe into the suspension.

“An inquiry must determine whether this was a technical fault or a case of political interference,” Verma asserted.

“His WhatsApp and other social media handles remained active, so it’s strange that only his Facebook page was affected. It could well be part of the BJP’s digital strategy to stifle opposition voices.”

He further alleged that the government’s liaison mechanism with social media companies, established under the 2021 IT Rules, could be misused to target political figures.

“These liaison officers act as a bridge between the government and platforms like Facebook. Such access could easily be exploited to silence leaders temporarily. The BJP has long been trying to control social media because it remains one of the few spaces where free expression still thrives,” Verma said.

With over 8 million followers, Yadav’s Facebook page serves as a vital communication hub for the Samajwadi Party — disseminating announcements, rally updates, and political statements. Its sudden disappearance, even briefly, disrupted the party’s digital operations and stirred unease among supporters.

While Facebook has yet to issue an official statement, sources close to the party hinted that a complaint against the page might have triggered an automated moderation response. Others insist it was a temporary algorithmic error.

Whatever the cause, the incident underscores the growing intersection of politics and platform power in India’s digital democracy — where a few unexplained hours of silence online can spark an entire storm offline.

With IANS inputs