Govt notice to Twitter over controversial hashtag

The government has issued notice to Twitter, accusing it of unilaterally unblocking more than 250 accounts that had been suspended over the farmers’ agitation. An official at the social media company said it tilted in favour of free speech.

The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY), in a notice issued late on Tuesday night, said Twitter had violated an order to block 257 accounts associated with the farmers’ agitation on the borders of Delhi.

A senior government official said Twitter could face penal action for non-compliance of the order.

Twitter on Sunday temporarily blocked 257 accounts that had shared content criticizing the government over the farmers’ protest. Many of these had used the hashtag “ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide”.