In more trouble for Twitter, an FIR was lodged in Uttar Pradesh against two senior officials of its India office over the microblogging site putting up a distorted map of the country, with the Madhya Pradesh government saying it will also initiate legal action over the same issue.
The Delhi Police said it has registered a case against Twitter on a complaint by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) for the social media platform allegedly allowing access to child sexual abuse material.
The FIR relating to wrong map issue was lodged at the Khurja Nagar police station in UP’s Bulandshahr district on Monday against Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari and News Partnerships Head Amrita Tripathi under Section 505 (2) (Public Mischief) of the Indian Penal Code based on a complaint by an office-bearer of the Bajrang Dal.
Twitter had on Monday removed the wrong map that showed the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir outside India, following an uproar.
Charges under the Information Technology Act Section 74 (Publication for Fraudulent Purpose) have also been invoked in the case, according to the FIR.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said he has directed Director General of Police Vivek Johri to investigate the wrong map issue and take legal action.
Case under POCSO Act
In Delhi, the police have registered an FIR against Twitter under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the IT Act for allegedly allowing access to child pornography on the microblogging platform on a complaint by the NCPCR.
This comes days after the NCPCR, the country’s apex child rights body, asked Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Anyesh Roy to explain why no action had been taken. In its letter, the NCPCR had asked the Delhi Police to book Twitter in the wake of the findings of its recent inquiry in which it had found that child sexual abuse material was easily available on the platform.
The complaint was against Twitter Inc and Twitter Communication India Private Ltd., the police said.