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Making Orwellian dystopia come to life and in an attempt to curb the speech of those standing in solidarity with the protesting farmers, Twitter accounts of The Caravan magazine and Kisan Ekta Morcha among 250 others were withheld on 01 February 2021. While the accounts have been restored since, the administration of internet shutdown and withholding accounts is not something unfamiliar with the present ruling government.
According to the ANI, the accounts were withheld on request by the Ministry Of Home Affairs and other law enforcement agencies to deescalate the law and order situation. ANI reported, “Ministry of Electronics and IT directed Twitter to block around 250 tweets/Twitter accounts which were using #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide hashtag and making fake, intimidatory and provocative tweets on January 30.”
It further reported that The Ministry of Electronics & IT ordered for the accounts and tweets to be blocked under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000 which provides for the Central Government to block access to any information generated, transmitted, received, stored or hosted in any computer resource as long as it falls under the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the State, maintenance of friendly relations with foreign states or public order, or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above.
This is not the first time that The Caravan has faced such retaliation. Earlier in 2020, during the North-East Delhi riots, journalists affiliated to the independent news outlet faced harassment at the hands of authority. “The magazine’s editors (Executive editor Vinod K. Jose and editor Anant Nath) are among those against whom sedition FIRs have been registered in four BJP-ruled states for coverage of a farmers’ death on January 26, during the tractor rally, ” reported The Wire. Recent tweets by the Kisan Ekta Morcha also alleged that many farmers have been missing since 26 January 2021.
Of the accounts withheld, were mostly journalists, activists and those in solidarity with farmers. Among these were the accounts of social activist Hansraj Meena, CEO of Prasar Bharati Shashi Shekhar, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Salim, political commentators Sanjukta Basu and Mohammad Asif Khan, and that of CPI(M) Puducherry.
Other Twitter handles include @EpicRoflDon and @Tractor2twitr who are campaigning to encourage people to support farmers protesting against the contentious new farm laws.
In an era of digital democracy, the constant internet shutdowns and withholding of accounts by the government reveals the sad reality of an emerging surveillance state– one with no space for the right to freedom and expression or that of peaceful protesting.
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