Instagram target Sikh activist accounts in banning spree

Two prominent Sikh activist Instagram pages were removed from the app last night, including the official campaign account for British Sikh political prisoner Jagtar Singh Johal.

@FreeJaggiNow and @SikhActivists were removed from the world’s most used social media site just weeks after the @SikhYouthUK page was also removed. The @SikhActivists page was the official backup page for @SikhYouthUK, with both pages posting regular updates on the #FreeJaggiNow campaign.

The two organisations work closely on highlighting the plight of India’s British Sikh political prisoner Jagtar Singh Johal, who enters his sixth year of being imprisoned in India without being convicted of a crime. The banning spree follows an ongoing pattern of Sikh activist accounts being censored on all social media sites.

Many Sikhs believe the influence of the Indian government, who have criminalised Sikh dissent, is evident in the actions of social media moderators. However, in meetings with groups like The Sikh Press Association, the team behind Instagram and Facebook have previously said targeted “malicious” mass reporting has led to Sikh censorship.

The issue will be taken up with Instagram directly, although previous issues of Sikh censorship remain unaddressed.