The Centre on Tuesday pulled up representatives of social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook for not blocking objectionable content, hate messages and videos flagged by the police during the communal riots in northeast Delhi last week. The representatives were also warned of legal action for not complying with requests from law enforcement agencies, a senior government official said.
A wave of communal violence convulsed northeast Delhi between February 23-25, in which as many as 48 people were killed. The death toll is likely to go up.
The Ministry of Home Affairs convened a meeting of social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp on Tuesday.
“The representatives of the social media platforms were told that they cannot take an unusually long time to pull down content and accounts that incite communal tensions and are inflammatory,” said a senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “There were several accounts that were peddling false information,” the official added.
While government officials assert that social media aggravated the violence, several local residents have complained that the police did not come to their help despite repeated calls to the police control room.
On Tuesday, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply that “a close watch is being kept on social media platforms which may disseminate rumours and unfounded propaganda.” Mr. Rai also said that “investigating officers are collecting CCTV footage and seeking out videos from public to bring the guilty to book” and prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were being implemented in riot affected areas.
“There are legal provisions under which action can be taken against the social media platforms for not complying with requests of police and other law enforcement agencies,” said the official. “The courts can take a decision,” the official added.
Asked about the meeting, a Twitter spokesperson said, “Twitter remains committed to working with governments around the world, including in India, to encourage healthy behaviour on the service. We appreciate the importance of the work being undertaken by the Ministry of Home Affairs and we thank them for their inclusive engagement.”
A representative of one of the social media platforms, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the company would work closely with the police and help in amplifying their messages aimed at dispelling rumours.
Delhi Police has registered 21 FIRs against various social media accounts operating on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for posting “provocative content.”
“Several social media accounts and web links involved in circulation of unlawful offensive content were suspended and removed through concerned platforms,” a police official said, declining to be identified.
( With inputs from Yuthika Bhargava )
