The Twitter account of the BBC’s Punjabi news service was ‘withheld’ in India for a few hours based on a government request on March 28. A BBC spokesperson told The Hindu that the account has been restored a few hours after it was taken down. The action was first reported by the South Asian Journal, a diaspora-focused news portal. Twitter has not yet published details of the legal request that led it to restrict BBC News Punjabi’s account.
This comes as police claim to pursue the pro-Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh and his followers. The Indian offices of the BBC were ‘surveyed’ by the Income Tax Department shortly after the release of the two-part documentary India: The Modi Question.
The Hindu has reached out to Kanika Mittal, Country Head at Twitter India for comment.
Over 120 accounts have been suspended amid the pursuit of Mr. Singh, according to filings released by Twitter. The company has withheld the accounts of journalists; activists; celebrities; and even one parliamentarian, Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann of the Shiromani Akali Dal.
The State government also shut down the mobile internet for much of last week in Punjab, with the shutdown lasting longer in parts of the State such as Tarn Taran district and parts of Mohali.
