Mohammad Irfan’s YouTube channel shot from zero to over 70,000 subscribers in less than a day before being abruptly terminated, triggering demands for answers from YouTube India.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, August 2, 2026: A newly launched YouTube channel belonging to Mohammad Irfan, a 35-year-old daily-wage worker and ice-slab seller from a Delhi slum, was abruptly terminated on Sunday morning after it amassed more than 70,000 subscribers in less than 24 hours. The dramatic rise and equally sudden removal have sparked questions about YouTube’s moderation systems and prompted demands for an explanation from the platform.
Irfan, who lives in a modest one-room dwelling with a tarpaulin roof in Sawda JJ Colony with his parents and two sisters, has never attended school. In recent weeks, he emerged as an unlikely public figure after delivering a series of impassioned speeches during the student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
His speeches, in which he recited the Preamble to the Constitution and spoke about democracy, equality, workers’ rights and social justice, struck a chord with thousands of viewers. Clips of the soft-spoken hawker quickly went viral across social media, transforming the working-class labourer into an internet sensation.
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Encouraged by the overwhelming response, Irfan launched his official YouTube channel, “Main Irfan” (@mohirfanofficial), on Saturday with support from journalist Ajit Anjum and several well-wishers. Within hours, the channel crossed 26,000 subscribers, prompting Anjum to predict that it could touch one lakh subscribers within days and eventually provide Irfan with a stable source of income while amplifying his message.
The momentum continued through the night. By Sunday morning, the subscriber count had crossed 70,000.
Soon afterwards, however, visitors to the page found that the channel had been terminated.
In his appeal to YouTube, Irfan stated that his channel was newly created and had complied with all of the platform’s Community Guidelines and policies. He said the rapid growth in subscribers was entirely organic, driven by genuine public interest in his content. Describing the termination as a likely error by YouTube’s automated moderation system, he urged the company to conduct a manual review of the channel and restore it if the suspension had been made mistakenly.
“मेरा चैनल बिल्कुल नया था और मैंने YouTube की सभी गाइडलाइंस का ईमानदारी से पालन किया है। मेरे कंटेंट को लोगों ने बहुत पसंद किया, जिसकी वजह से सब्सक्राइबर बढ़े। ऐसा लगता है कि आपके ऑटोमैटिक सिस्टम से गलती हुई है। कृपया मेरे चैनल की दोबारा समीक्षा करें और इसे वापस रीस्टोर (Restore)…
— Mohn Irfan (@IRFANfromSlums) August 2, 2026
“My channel was completely new, and I have honestly followed all of YouTube’s guidelines. People really liked my content, which is why my subscribers increased. It seems like there was a mistake by your automatic system. Please review my channel again and restore it,” he has posted on X.
The sudden action triggered widespread criticism on social media. In a post on X, Ajit Anjum questioned the decision, asking how a working-class man who had attracted such extraordinary public support could have his channel removed without warning. He urged YouTube India to explain the basis for the action.
A young man named Mohammad Irfan, who lives in a slum in Delhi, started his YouTube channel just yesterday with our support. From yesterday evening until this morning, his channel gained more than 70,000 subscribers.
suddenly this morning, his YouTube channel was terminated.
How… https://t.co/AoQeeMKEog— Ajit Anjum (@ajitanjum) August 2, 2026
A young man named Mohammad Irfan, who lives in a slum in Delhi, started his YouTube channel just yesterday with our support. From yesterday evening until this morning, his channel gained more than 70,000 subscribers.
suddenly this morning, his YouTube channel was terminated.
How… https://t.co/AoQeeMKEog— Ajit Anjum (@ajitanjum) August 2, 2026
In a subsequent post, Anjum pointed out that while Irfan’s verified channel had been taken down, at least three fake channels using his name and content had appeared on the platform. He called on YouTube to remove the impersonator accounts and restore the original channel immediately.
Supporters believe the channel may have been flagged by YouTube’s automated moderation systems because of its unusually rapid subscriber growth. New channels that witness explosive viral success are sometimes mistakenly identified as engaging in spam or artificial subscriber activity.
Irfan’s supporters insist the growth was entirely organic, driven by his widely shared protest speeches and endorsements from prominent journalists and content creators.
As of Sunday afternoon, neither YouTube India nor its parent company Google had issued an official statement explaining the termination. An appeal against the decision is understood to have been initiated.
The incident has reignited concerns over the opacity of automated content moderation and the difficulties faced by first-time creators who suddenly attract massive online audiences.
For many, Irfan’s story symbolises the power of social media to amplify voices from the margins. A daily-wage worker who spent years selling ice slabs from a handcart, he found national recognition through his speeches on constitutional values and social justice. Supporters say the YouTube channel represented not only a platform for expression but also a potential means of financial stability for a man who has spoken publicly about battling poverty and depression.
With fake channels proliferating and public pressure mounting, supporters continue to demand that YouTube restore Irfan’s original account and provide a transparent explanation for its decision. Whatever the outcome, the episode has highlighted both the opportunities offered by digital platforms and the vulnerabilities faced by emerging creators whose sudden success can be cut short without warning.
