New Delhi: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has issued a three-day ultimatum to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, demanding an apology over the brief removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's July 23 video from Facebook.

The committee, chaired by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, termed the temporary removal of the Prime Minister's video an "attack on democracy" and warned that Meta could face serious consequences if action is not taken against those responsible.

According to the committee, if Meta fails to respond appropriately, it may recommend the removal of the platform's safe harbour protection in India. The panel also warned that the loss of this legal protection could allow FIRs to be filed directly against social media platform officials, subject to applicable legal processes.

Dubey alleged that Meta has been misusing the privilege of safe harbour protection. He said the committee had written to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), arguing that the removal of the Prime Minister's video was an editorial decision rather than the function of an intermediary.

The controversy began after a selfie video posted by Prime Minister Modi on July 23, addressing Gen Z and promising strict action against paper leaks, was briefly restricted on Facebook before being restored.

Meta later attributed the removal to a technical glitch and apologised for the incident. However, the IT Ministry reportedly said the explanation was not satisfactory, adding that if the issue was caused by a technical error, the company should improve its systems to prevent similar incidents.

The parliamentary panel also raised concerns over the circulation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on social media platforms. It warned platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Google, YouTube, X, and Snapchat to strictly comply with Indian laws related to child safety or face legal action.

The committee said protecting children and women from online abuse remains a priority and stressed that social media platforms must strengthen their content moderation and compliance mechanisms.