Indian government requests GitHub to remove Bitchat repositories during Delhi protests

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, issued the removal order on July 23, 2026. The repositories hosted Bitchat, an open-source messaging app designed to operate without central servers, which had been used by protesters in Delhi to coordinate demonstrations.

GitHub has not yet publicly confirmed whether it will comply with the request. The platform typically reviews government takedown demands against its content policies and local laws before acting.

Bitchat's decentralized architecture makes it difficult for authorities to block or monitor, a feature that has drawn both praise from privacy advocates and scrutiny from governments concerned about its potential use in organizing unrest.

The I4C's directive is part of a broader effort by Indian authorities to curb the spread of communication tools they say can be used to incite violence or disrupt public order during the ongoing protests. Civil liberties groups have criticized such actions as overreach that stifles free expression.