Washington: The two India-based Human Rights X accounts based in the US have been withheld, with the X platform claiming it had done so on a legal demand from the Indian government.
The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and Hindus for Human Rights X accounts, two at present, have been temporarily suspended under Section 69 of India's Information Technology Act, 2000. This act empowers the government to issue content-blocking orders to online intermediaries like X if the content is deemed a threat to national security, sovereignty, or public order.
While the specific grounds for withholding the accounts remain unclear, IAMC said that X had informed them of a legal removal demand based on the violation of India's Information Technology Act, 2000.
Both non-profit organizations have been actively advocating for minority rights and addressing caste inequality in India. The IAMCl emphasized the significance of its X account as a vital medium for Indian-American Muslims to raise awareness about Hindu nationalism and the deteriorating human rights conditions faced by persecuted minority groups in India.
Expressing concern over the perceived collaboration between X's executive Elon Musk and the Modi regime, the Executive Director of the Indian American Muslim Council, Rasheed Ahmed, called for the immediate restoration of access to their account in India.
Ahmed asserted that silencing their voice on social media not only impacts their organization but also undermines democracy in both the United States and India.
Hindus for Human Rights, the second organization affected, criticized X for not providing an explanation for the legal demand and failing to offer opportunities for an inquiry or appeal. They see this move as part of a broader crackdown by the Modi regime against dissenting voices, both within and outside India.
The withholding of these accounts has not only raised concerns about freedom of expression but has also become a focal point for the ongoing political tensions between the ruling BJP and its critics.
In June, Union minister Smriti Irani accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of association with American activist Sunita Vishwanath, an executive director of Hindus for Human Rights, alleging links to Hungarian-American investor George Soros, whom the BJP accuses of attempting to destabilize the Indian government.