Raj Thackeray deletes Modi-Adani documentary post after Mumbai Police chief’s request, vows to continue fight

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray stated on Sunday, October 25, 2026, that he had deleted a social media post featuring a documentary regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani. The deletion followed a request conveyed through the Mumbai Police Commissioner. Thackeray asserted that his opposition to corporate monopolies would persist, arguing that the documentary had already served its purpose of bringing specific issues to public attention. In a statement posted on X, the MNS leader explained that he had previously shared a documentary created by Sabeer Bhatia. The video highlighted alleged long-standing relationships between the Prime Minister and the industrialist, while raising questions about the concentration of India’s industrial assets. Thackeray noted that the video, originally shared on October 22, garnered more than 4.8 million views on X alone. He claimed the footage also generated widespread engagement on Facebook and other digital platforms. Thackeray alleged that the documentary’s popularity unsettled individuals in positions of power, prompting the police request for its removal. He stated he honored the request out of respect for the police force, describing the Mumbai and Maharashtra police as among the country’s most efficient agencies. However, he insisted that his decision should not be interpreted as a retreat from his political stance. The MNS chief declared that the fire had already been lit and that the campaign against monopolistic practices would continue. He clarified that his criticism was not directed at any particular industrialist individually, but at policies that allegedly favored a select few. Thackeray argued that the Prime Minister should encourage multiple industrialists to expand their businesses, generate employment, and compete internationally, rather than extending preferential treatment to a single business group. Referencing a public meeting held in January 2026 at Shivtirth in Mumbai, Thackeray said he had presented concerns about the Adani Group’s growing influence across various sectors during the run-up to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections. Portions of that presentation were reportedly incorporated into Bhatia’s documentary. The MNS chief noted that videos of his January presentation remained available on his social media accounts, and he indicated he was sharing portions of the presentation again. He further accused central and state governments of facilitating the transfer of Maharashtra’s forest land to select industrial groups. Specifically, Thackeray alleged that the center had instructed the state government to hand over several hundred hectares of forest land in Bhimashankar to the Gujarat-based Torrent Group. He questioned the silence of Maharashtra’s elected representatives, asking why Marathi members of parliament, legislative assembly members, and ministers were not speaking out against what he described as the transfer of state resources to private interests. He criticized political leaders for invoking Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj while allegedly remaining silent as state assets were handed over to industrialists. The documentary was produced by Sabeer Bhatia, an Indian-American entrepreneur who co-founded the first free web-based email service, Hotmail.com, in 1996. Bhatia stated on Wednesday that he had removed his posts following a similar request from Mumbai Police. On October 18, Mumbai Police issued legal notices to 24 users of the social media platform X who had shared the documentary. According to reports, the notices alleged that the content contained false, misleading, and disparaging claims about the Adani group. The police stated that the content was circulated without any factual or legal basis, causing ongoing harm to the group’s reputation, goodwill, and public image. The notices cited violations of platform guidelines and identified offenses punishable under Sections 352 and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Section 352 pertains to intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace, while Section 356 covers defamation. The notices demanded that the platform and account holders urgently review the objectionable posts and remove or disable access to the content. Several account holders complied by deleting the video clips, while others publicly shared copies of the police notice on their handles. These users alleged overreach and termed the action unjust. Bhatia responded to the police action on X, stating that he had complied with the request to take down certain tweets. He characterized the targeted content as pointing out alleged corruption at the highest levels of power. Bhatia expressed deep disappointment, stating that the fundamental right to free speech was being curtailed by the government. He remarked that in a nation of 1.45 billion people, citizens were afraid to speak about what they saw. He suggested that the law enforcement agency appeared to find the exposure of corruption less objectionable than the act of exposing it. The documentary was also screened at an MNS branch office on Saturday, the day before Thackeray announced his removal of the content from his accounts. Thackeray reiterated that his objective in circulating the material was to make the information accessible to a wider audience, a goal he believed had been achieved.