X accounts, news sites blocked in India following Pakistan clash

Government orders X to suspend 8,000 accounts, sparking press freedom concerns

20250520 X logo and Indian flag

Some Indian media outlets whose X accounts were suspended have received no explanation from the platform. (Sipa via AP Images)

QURATULAIN REHBAR

SRINAGAR, India -- Journalists, digital media outlets and activists are raising the alarm after the Indian government ordered the blocking of nearly 8,000 X accounts in an unprecedented crackdown that has sparked widespread condemnation.

The mass takedown follows India-Pakistan skirmishes in which fighter jets were scrambled and missiles exchanged, raising fears of a broader conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Indian officials cited "national security" concerns as the basis for the order, but the sweeping action has sparked alarm over press freedom and transparency in the world's largest democracy.

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