Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have registered cases against several Facebook and Instagram account operators and meta india head Arun Srinivas over allegedly morphed and objectionable content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the CJP-led protests linked to exam irregularities and the neet 2026 paper leak row. Hindustan Times reported that the cases relate to content circulated on Meta platforms during the student protest wave.

The case matters beyond one FIR. It shows that police scrutiny of allegedly manipulated political content is no longer stopping only at the users who post it. It has now reached the leadership of the platform that hosted it.

What The FIR Alleges

According to Hindustan Times, police said the cases involve allegedly manipulated and objectionable content targeting PM Modi on Facebook and Instagram during protests by the Cockroach Janta Party over exam irregularities. The FIRs were registered after complaints from BJP supporters, and meta india head Arun Srinivas was named as a co-accused under relevant provisions of the BNS and IT Act.

Reuters also reported that Hyderabad Police filed a case against Arun Srinivas over Facebook videos that allegedly portrayed Modi in an abusive manner. Reuters added an important caution: it is unclear why Srinivas was named personally, which is unusual and would typically require evidence of direct involvement and awareness.

That distinction matters. Naming an executive in a police case is not the same as proving liability. The investigation will have to establish whether there was any legal failure by the platform or its India leadership.

Who Filed The Complaints

Hindustan Times reported that the complaints came from Telangana BJP social media committee member T Saikiran Goud and party supporter S Arvind Reddy. Goud reportedly submitted about 20 Facebook and Instagram links and sought action against Meta for hosting the content.

Reddy was quoted as saying he had come across multiple morphed and digitally manipulated videos and images depicting the Prime Minister, the US President and former Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan in an objectionable and misleading manner.

The alleged content was linked in reporting to the wider protest climate around the neet paper leak issue, which had already triggered major student anger, online mobilisation and political attacks on the government.

Meta Gets Notice From Police

A cybercrime investigator told Hindustan Times that police had issued a notice to Meta about the registered cases and the objectionable links reported by the complainants. The investigator also said police were trying to collect details about the accused to identify and arrest them.

Reuters reported that Meta had not immediately responded to its request for comment. It also noted that Srinivas has been Meta’s Managing Director and Head for India since July 2025.

That means, for now, Meta’s public position on this specific FIR is not available in the reports reviewed. The police version and complainants’ allegations are on record; Meta’s detailed response is still awaited.

Why This Is Bigger Than One Post

The case comes at a time when India’s rules on online content, deepfakes and platform accountability have become stricter. A recent PIB release said social media platforms must remove unlawful content within three hours after receiving a court order or reasoned government intimation. It also said the amended IT Rules address synthetically generated information, including deepfakes and AI-generated content.

The same PIB note says intermediaries may lose their legal protection under Section 79 of the IT Act if they fail to observe due diligence obligations under the IT Rules.

This is the legal background that makes the FIR important. Police are not only asking who created the posts. They are also asking whether the platform acted quickly and responsibly enough once such content appeared.

Why Meta Is Already Under Pressure In India

This is not Meta’s first moderation controversy in India this week. Earlier, a Facebook video of Modi addressing the paper leak protests was briefly blocked in India before Meta restored it and said the content had been removed in error. Times of India reported that the government summoned a Meta official after that incident.

The new FIR sits on the other side of the same debate. In one case, Meta was questioned over content being removed. In this case, it is being questioned over content allegedly remaining available.

That is the core platform problem: take down too much, and political actors accuse platforms of censorship. Leave harmful or manipulated content up, and police may question whether the platform failed its legal duties.

What Happens Next

There are three things to watch now.

First, whether Hyderabad Police formally proceed against Srinivas as an individual or mainly use the notice to seek platform-level information from Meta.

Second, whether Meta removes or restricts the flagged links and explains how the content passed through its moderation systems.

Third, whether the case becomes a precedent for naming senior platform executives in FIRs linked to AI-generated political content.

For now, the confirmed story is this: Meta India head Arun Srinivas has been named in a police case linked to allegedly morphed posts targeting PM Modi during the NEET protest cycle. The allegations are serious, but the investigation is still underway.

The larger question is no longer just who posted the content. It is how far Indian authorities will go in holding platforms responsible when political misinformation, AI visuals and protest anger collide online.