The Uttar Pradesh police have arrested Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari in connection with the platform’s website depicting a false map of India. According to the news agency, the FIR was filed on the complaint of a Bajrang Dal leader in Bulandshahr, and the case was filed under section 505(2) of the IPC and section 74 of the IT (A) Act.
The case concerns a contentious map of India that previously appeared on Twitter’s job section under the heading “Tweep Life.” Last weekend, it was revealed that the map depicted Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Ladakh, as independent countries. The distorted image drew widespread condemnation after it was made public last weekend, and even though Twitter removed the problematic map late Monday night, calls for harsh punishment against the microblogging network were made.
In India, Twitter is suffering a backlash as a result of its standoff with the government over compliance with the country’s new IT legislation. Maheshwari had been summoned by the Uttar Pradesh Police for questioning in connection with an allegedly false video of an elderly Muslim man being attacked in the Ghaziabad district’s Loni sector. Ghaziabad police also sent a second notice to the firm, requesting “account details” of the suspects accused of publishing and spreading the video.
The UP police have filed an appeal against the relief granted to Maheshwari by the Karnataka high court in connection with the probe into the Loni assault case, and Maheshwari, the managing director of Twitter India, submitted a caveat on Monday. The Twitter executive wanted the Supreme Court to hear him before passing any order and to be served a copy of any petition filed by Utkarsh.
On Monday, Twitter announced the appointment of Jeremy Kessel, a global legal policy director based in the United States, as the new grievance officer for India. On the other hand, the criteria provide that the position must be filled by an Indian citizen.
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