Social media was a lifeline for Indians as COVID-19 overwhelmed hospitals. But the government wants to censor it.

For countless Indians, Twitter has been a way to track down medical supplies for friends and family sick with COVID-19, as a second wave overwhelmed hospitals. But when one man appealed for oxygen for his sick grandfather in April, he was arrested and charged with spreading misinformation. Authorities in Uttar Pradesh, where the man lived, claimed there was no shortage, dismissing "rumors and propaganda on social media."