BackGovt asks Twitter to take down 1,178 accounts: Report
Twitter so far has not acted on the latest complaints from the Indian governmentEarlier, on January 31, the IT Ministry had sent a list of 257 handles and tweets to be blocked for similar reasons
PremiumThe government has asked microblogging platform Twitter to remove more than a thousand accounts for allegedly spreading misinformation around farmers' protests. It has alleged that the 1,178 handles have Pakistani and Khalistani users, sources have said, News Agency ANI reports. he latest list has been sent to Twitter on February 4. Twitter so far has not acted on the latest complaints from the Indian government.
" Government tells Twitter to remove 1178 Pakistani-Khalistani accounts spreading misinformation and provocative content around farmers' protests. Twitter yet to completely comply with orders: Sources," ANI tweeted.
Earlier, on January 31, the IT Ministry had sent a list of 257 handles and tweets to be blocked for similar reasons. Twitter blocked these accounts for a few hours before unilaterally unblocking them.
Also Read | Scarcity on high seas hurting India’s exports
The move comes amid the 'toolkit' controversy surrounding the farmer protest. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg had last week tweeted a "toolkit" which she later deleted. She had also extended support to protest by farmer unions on the borders of Delhi against the new farm laws.
On Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that there was a reason why MEA reacted to the remarks of some celebrities in relation to protest by farmer unions and noted that they spoke: "on matters on which they obviously didn't know very much".
The Minister told ANI that 'toolkit' case, which is being probed by police, has revealed a lot.
"I think it has revealed a lot. We have to wait and see what comes out. You can see there was a reason why the foreign ministry reacted to the statements which some celebrities gave out on matters on which they obviously didn't know very much," Jaishankar said.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police on Friday wrote a letter to Google seeking registration details and activity log of the account through which a "toolkit" related to the farmers' protest was created and uploaded on the social media platform.
The police had registered an FIR against unnamed persons in connection with the creators of the "toolkit'.
-With agency inputs
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
