Meta has restricted access in India to a viral AI-generated video showing Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan dancing with Kerala State Electricity Board officials. The video, posted on the Instagram page aikavala, gained about 1.78 crore views amid the state’s power cut controversy. The creator stated that Meta reported the restriction followed a notice from the Indian government, though the platform did not specify the issuing authority or legal grounds.
Before the restriction, Satheesan had approvingly referenced the video at a public event organized by the Kerala High Court, joking that his dancing skills surpassed those of actors Mohanlal and C Joseph Vijay. The page operator noted that the restriction likely did not come from the Chief Minister’s office due to this public praise, and the clip remains viewable outside India.
Previously, Meta removed news videos critical of the state government and Chief Minister, which Satheesan’s office had not requested and later asked to be reversed. Meta cited unspecified technical reasons for those earlier removals.