The Caravan's Twitter handle withheld
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Twitter, today withheld the official Twitter account of The Caravan Magazine in the country in response to "a legal demand". Likewise, the accounts of other activists, political commentators and politicians have also been suspended. As per a Twitter thread by Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of Alt News, the following are a few whose accounts have been withheld:
- Actor Sushant Singh
- Activist Hansraj Meena
- Md Asif Khan
- AAP MLA Jarnail Singh
- Kisan Ekta Morcha
- CPI(M) leader MD Salim
- Journalist Sanjukta Basu
- Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi S
The ANI reported that about 250 Twitter handles were withheld as directed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT under instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Law enforcement agencies for using the hashtag #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide.
Vinod K Jose, the Executive Editor of Caravan, took to Twitter to inform that they weren't informed prior to the action. The magazine is still accessible from the website, he added.
Though there are no more details regarding the grounds for withholding the account, the move comes days after the Delhi Police registered an FIR against The Caravan for allegedly spreading misinformation following the death of a farmer in the capital city on Republic day.
According to Twitter's rules and policies, such a message could appear if "Twitter was compelled to withhold the entire account specified (e.g., @username) in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order."