Congress says its Twitter account locked, calls action ‘selective’

The Congress on Thursday (August 12) said in an Instagram post the party’s official Twitter handle has been locked.

According to the screenshot of the locked account shared in the post, the party’s Twitter account was locked because it “violated Twitter rules” on publishing or posting other people’s private information without their express authorization and permission.

The fresh episode comes days after the temporary suspension of Rahul Gandhi’s Twitter account after a complaint from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). It involved a tweet that showed Rahul interacting with the family of the nine-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly raped and killed in Delhi.

Also read: Twitter in compliance with new IT Rules, Centre tells Delhi High Court

The NCPCR directed Twitter to delete the post, as mandated by law, for violating a minor’s privacy. The party has called action against Rahul and five others “selective.”

The August 12 Instagram post contained a screenshot of the Congress’ account and a message from Twitter that said it had been locked because it “violated Twitter rules” regarding publishing or posting other people’s private information without their express authorization and permission”.

On August 4, Twitter told the Delhi High Court it had deleted the offending tweet and locked Rahul’s account.

Also read: IT ministry officials set to meet social media firms after August 13

The Congress claimed that the Twitter accounts of media head Randeep Surjewala, AICC general secretary and former minister Ajay Maken, party’s whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore, Assam in-charge and former Union minister Jitendra Singh and Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev were also locked.

The action against the Congress and its leaders has drawn sharp reaction Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor heads a parliamentary IT panel. He said Twitter was acting to comply with the law, but warned that “automatically locking accounts is an extreme step… stifles freedom of expression”. He said “expeditious action” is more urgently required against the perpetrators of the horrific crime rather than against Rahul Gandhi.

“Outrage of the rape, murder and hasty cremation of a nine-year-old Dalit girl shocked the nation’s conscience. It demands expeditious action, not against Rahul Gandhi for a technical violation of law, but against those who were complicit in this human tragedy,” he tweeted.

“I understand Twitter’s position that it has no choice but block accounts that violate Indian law and Twitter policy. While the law is what it is, the policy can be reviewed. Automatically locking accounts is an extreme step that stifles the freedom of expression of Indian citizens,” he said.

Tharoor also pointed at “double standards” in Twitter’s response, citing an unnamed BJP national spokesperson who posted photos of the young woman allegedly gang raped and murdered in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras in September last year.