Twitter India MD again finds himself in a soup: Website alleged to exclude J&K and Ladakh from Indian Map

Twitter on June 25, had briefly blocked IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from accessing his account over alleged violation of US copyright laws.

Soon after being summoned by the Ghaziabad Police in connection with its probe into the viral video of an elderly Muslim man being attacked on camera, Manish Maheshwari, Managing Director of Twitter India has again been booked by Police in Uttar Pradesh.

Maheshwari this time has been booked allegedly over the social media platform’s website displaying a distorted map of India. Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district police have lodged an FIR against Maheshwari and News Partnerships Head Amrita Tripathi. The duo have been named as accused and booked under section 505(2) (public mischief) of Indian Penal Code.

The alleged map, which appeared on the career section of Twitter website under 'Tweep Life' header, had omitted Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir from India boundaries, which later triggered an outrage on social media. Twitter later removed the map in question.

The fresh FIR was lodged at Khurja Nagar police station late on 28th June on a complaint by an office-bearer of Bajrang Dal. Apart from 505(2) (public mischief), section 74 (publication for fraudulent purpose) under IT Act has also been invoked.

Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari and India head Amrita Tripathi booked for allegedly showing wrong map of India on its website. FIR was lodged on the complaint of Bajrang Dal leader Praveen Bhati at Khurja PS in Bulandshahar. pic.twitter.com/QUz4svRReC

— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) June 29, 2021

Earlier Maheshwari was summoned by Ghaziabad police in connection with its probe into the viral video of an elderly Muslim man being attacked. Maheshwari had to move the Karnataka High Court for relief. The court had restrained Ghaziabad police from initiating any coercive action against Maheshwari till June 29. The Uttar Pradesh government has in the meanwhile moved the Supreme Court against the relief granted to the Twitter MD.

Last year too in October, Twitter had drawn similar criticism for showing Leh as part of China. Twitter then had faced backlash after its geotagging feature displayed "Jammu & Kashmir, People's Republic of China" in a live broadcast from Leh's Hall of Fame, a war memorial for fallen soldiers.

After the Trump incidence, Twitter seems to have developed a spine and those acts which it condones in US and the rest of the world, it is trying to take action against them here in India too. Hence lately, Twitter has been engaged in a tussle with the Central government over the new social media rules.

Experts point out that Twitter has recently demonstrated a new found defiance. Twitter on June 25, had briefly blocked IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from accessing his account over alleged violation of copyright law — a move that was immediately slammed by the minister as being arbitrary and in gross violation of IT rules.

There has been news of Central Government and Twitter being at loggerheads over multiple instances in the past few months, including during the farmers' protest and later when the microblogging platform tagged political posts of several leaders of the ruling party BJP as ‘manipulated media’, triggering a sharp rebuke from the Centre.