Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have registered two cases against Meta’s country head Arun Srinivas and operators of several Facebook and Instagram accounts over allegedly morphed and objectionable content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The disputed videos and images circulated during protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party, a youth-driven movement that mobilised students over examination irregularities and broader demands for accountability in the education system. Police are examining whether the posts crossed legal limits governing manipulated media, defamation and harmful online communication.
Srinivas, Meta’s managing director and head in the country, has been named in the cases because the contested material appeared on platforms operated by the technology group. The investigation is expected to examine Meta’s handling of complaints, its response to removal requests and whether the company followed obligations imposed on online intermediaries.
Naming a senior platform executive in a criminal complaint does not establish personal involvement in creating or circulating the material. Investigators will have to determine whether liability can be attributed to the company’s leadership and whether statutory safeguards available to intermediaries apply.
Police have not publicly established that Srinivas approved, endorsed or had prior knowledge of the posts. The account operators accused of publishing or sharing the content are also subject to investigation, including efforts to identify individuals behind pages that may have used pseudonyms or incomplete registration details.
The cases have intensified scrutiny of political satire and digitally altered material that spread rapidly during the Cockroach Janta Party demonstrations. Protesters relied heavily on memes, parody videos and irreverent slogans to challenge the government’s handling of examination controversies. Some posts directly mocked Modi and senior officials, while others criticised television coverage and police action.
The demonstrations emerged from anger over alleged leaks and administrative failures affecting competitive examinations. The movement drew support from students, jobseekers and opposition figures, while organisers presented it as a non-party campaign seeking institutional accountability.
Its unconventional name and visual symbolism helped the protests gain traction online. Humour became a central mobilisation tool, allowing campaigners to package complex grievances into short videos, illustrations and slogans designed for rapid circulation across social networks.
The same strategy created legal and ethical disputes over where satire ends and deceptive manipulation begins. Political parody generally depends on exaggeration and ridicule, but synthetic or altered material can mislead viewers when it is presented without context or made to resemble an authentic recording.
Investigators are likely to assess whether the disputed posts were clearly identifiable as satire, whether they contained false factual claims and whether their creators intended to deceive, defame or provoke hostility. The reach of each post, accompanying captions and subsequent sharing patterns could also influence the inquiry.
Meta appointed Srinivas to lead its operations in the country from July 2025. He has nearly three decades of experience in sales and marketing and previously held senior positions at Hindustan Unilever, Reebok, Ola and WestBridge Capital.
The company operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads, giving it a central role in political communication and public debate. Its platforms are routinely asked to balance freedom of expression against demands to remove misinformation, abuse, impersonation and manipulated media.
Under intermediary rules, major social media companies must maintain grievance mechanisms, appoint compliance officials and respond to legally valid orders. Platforms may retain protection from liability for user-generated content when they observe due diligence requirements, although that protection can be challenged when authorities allege non-compliance.
Meta has maintained that it uses a combination of automated systems, specialist reviewers and user reports to enforce platform standards. Its policies restrict certain forms of harassment, impersonation and misleading manipulated media, while allowing political criticism, commentary and satire that do not otherwise breach its rules.
The Hyderabad cases arise amid heightened friction between public authorities and technology companies over content involving senior political figures. Meta executives were also summoned after Facebook briefly restricted a video posted through Modi’s account. The company attributed that episode to a technical error and restored the material.
Civil liberties advocates have repeatedly warned that criminal proceedings over political expression can discourage legitimate criticism, especially when complaints target parody or opposition speech. Government supporters argue that fabricated videos and abusive imagery can damage reputations, distort public debate and spread faster than corrections.
