Meta’s vice president of public policy in India, Shivnath Thukral, has quit the social‑media company.
In a LinkedIn post, Thukral stated: “After a very satisfying and enriching journey of more than 7.5 years I have decided to step down from Meta as the VP of India Public Policy at the end of this month.”
He said he hopes to focus a bit more on running, health and family in the future, and that he plans to return soon.
“…I will be back soon. One should never stop learning, so I will update on the next move, which will help me learn more and do new and different things. Who knows, maybe help to take India to the world!” the post added.
Meta Troubles
Thukral’s departure coincides with a period of scrutiny for Meta by Indian authorities. In March, Facebook restricted thousands of pages and accounts using deepfakes and other deceptive techniques targeting Indian users.
In November 2024 the Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed a penalty of ₹ 213.14 crore on Meta for abusing its dominant position regarding WhatsApp’s 2021 policy change. In January 2025 the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) provided temporary relief by suspending the CCI’s five‑year ban on WhatsApp’s data‑sharing policy.
Thukral’s Meta Journey
Thukral joined Meta (then Facebook) in 2017 as public‑policy director for India and South Asia. In 2022 he was promoted to public‑policy director for WhatsApp India and, in November 2022, appointed head of public policy in India, succeeding Rajiv Aggarwal. He was elevated to vice‑president of public policy in India in March 2024.
Reflecting on his tenure, Thukral noted that he helped establish key systems and processes for Meta’s policy engagement and felt it “a good time to let the engine and the team work on their own.”
“…It is not an easy decision to make, but I feel very confident that our policy engagement with stakeholders is at a credible and constructive juncture and we can only build further on that. There is always more to do and I know the team is well equipped to navigate the waters. Having helped build some of the systems and processes, I do feel it is a good time to let the engine and the team work on their own,” he added.
