13 October,2026 07:31 AM IST | Mumbai | Priyanka Sharma
Puneet Sharma
Last week, screenwriter-lyricist Puneet Sharma's poem, titled Sadakein Sab Yaad Nahi Rakhti, Humein Rakhna Hota Hai, went viral on Instagram amid the nationwide protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. To his shock, on October 10, the lyricist found that his poem - that speaks about the power of protests - was no longer available on the platform.
As he checked into it, Sharma learnt that Instagram had removed it in India after "receiving a legal request to restrict content." "I learned about it on Saturday evening, when I saw that there was no notification around that post and checked my account centre," he recalled of the post that has disappeared from his Instagram feed.
According to the screenshots shared by Sharma with mid-day, the platform informed him that the legal request was made in relation to Section 69A of the Indian Information Technology Act. Under the act, the central government can issue orders to digital platforms to block public access to online information.
Upset at the development, Sharma questioned citizens' freedom if access to a mere poem is also restricted by the State. He asserted, "This poem speaks about peaceful protests, the legacy of our ancestors, and the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters. If an artiste can't even post a poem about what such protests have given to this country, what freedom is left for us to exercise?"
