Swara Bhasker, an Indian actress known for her outspoken views, has had her X (formerly Twitter) account permanently suspended.1 The reason given was copyright infringement, related to posts she made on Republic Day.2 Swara has protested the decision, calling it "ridiculous and untenable."3
In a post on Instagram, Swara explained the situation.4 She said that two of her tweets were flagged as violating copyright.5 One tweet featured an image with an orange background and a Hindi slogan, "Gandhi Hum Sharmindaa hain, Tere qaatil zinda hain" (Gandhi, we are ashamed, your killers are alive). Swara argued that this slogan is a common expression used by progressive movements in India and shouldn't be subject to copyright.6 She compared it to a folk saying, stating, "There is no copyright violation.7 It is akin to urban modern folk idiom."
The second image that supposedly infringed copyright was a picture of her own child (with the child's face hidden) waving the Indian flag.8 The image also had the text "HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY India."9 Swara questioned how a picture of her own child could be a copyright violation.10 She asked, "How can this possibly be a copyright infringement ???? Who has a copyright on my child’s likeness???"
Swara believes that both copyright claims are baseless and defy any reasonable understanding of copyright law. She suggested that her tweets might have been mass-reported by those trying to harass her and silence her freedom of speech.11 She formally requested X to review her case and reinstate her account, concluding her Instagram post with, "Kindly review and reverse your decision." She also described the complaints as "ridiculous and untenable by any rational, logical and objective understanding of any legal definition of copyright."12
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Swara has a history of being vocal about her political and social beliefs, which has often led to both support and criticism.13 She is currently taking a break after getting married and becoming a mother. This suspension of her X account adds another chapter to her public life and raises questions about the platform's content moderation policies and how they are applied. It also highlights the ongoing debate about freedom of speech and expression on social media.
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