India’s communications minister is due to meet internet and social media companies in order to discuss new guidelines on content.

The government wants to stamp out what it calls “objectionable material”. Last week, in a private meeting with executives from Google and Facebook, he directed them to remove offensive and abusive speech online.

For many Indians, in the virtual world, this directive is seen as silencing their voice. As a result, sites like Twitter saw users responding angrily with many saying it is against India’s democratic rights.

Al Jazeera’s Prerna Suri reports from New Delhi.