Akhilesh Yadav’s Facebook Account Restored Hours After Suspension Over Violent Post

A file photo of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav (Image: PTI)

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav’s official Facebook account was restored on Saturday, hours after being taken down. The suspension had sparked a strong political backlash, with the SP blaming the BJP government for Facebook’s action.

According to sources, Yadav’s account was blocked by Facebook for posting violent and sexual content. It is learnt that the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s account that boasted more than eight million followers was suspended at around 6 pm on Friday.

‘The Voice Of Millions!’: SP Leaders React Strongly

SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chaand condemned the suspension as an attack on freedom of expression, labelling it as an imposition of “an undeclared emergency.”

In a post on X, Chaand wrote, “Suspending the Facebook account of respected Akhilesh Yadav ji, the national president of the country’s third-largest party, is an attack on democracy. The BJP government has imposed an undeclared emergency, where every opposing voice is being suppressed. But the Samajwadi Party will continue to oppose the BJP’s anti-people policies.”

While the state president of Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, Vineet Kushwaha, warned Facebook against the move, stating that it “must remember its boundaries.”

Calling Yadav the “voice of millions”, Kushwaha claimed that the page was taken down without any notice or warning.

In a post on Facebook, he wrote, “Facebook has dared to cross its limits — it has suspended the official page of Akhilesh Yadav ji (@yadavakhilesh) without any warning or notice. This is not an ordinary account — this is Akhilesh Yadav ji , the voice of millions! Facebook must remember its boundaries — it cannot silence democracy.Samajwadis, it’s time to bring Facebook to its senses! Such arrogance will not be tolerated.”