Railways Orders X to Remove 285 Videos of NDLS Stampede Citing 'Ethical Norms'

New Delhi: Days after a deadly stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, the Railways Ministry ordered social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to remove over 280 videos related to the incident, citing concerns over law and order. The directive, issued on February 17, referred to ethical norms and platform policies, giving X a 36-hour deadline to take action. 

Railways Orders Social Media Cleanup After New Delhi Stampede  

The stampede on February 15 claimed at least 18 lives as thousands of passengers rushed to board trains to Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh is underway. The chaos unfolded at platforms 14 and 15, with visuals of casualties and panic widely circulating online. The ministry’s notice warned that such content could disrupt railway operations, especially with the current surge in Maha Kumbh-related travel.  

“This is not only against the ethical norms but also against the content policy of x.com itself, as sharing of such videos may create an unwarranted law and order situation,” the ministry’s notice stated. It further added that such content “may affect the operations of Indian Railways” due to the “huge rush of trains” these days.

New Powers Allow Direct Takedown Orders  

The ministry’s action follows a new directive issued on December 24, which granted the Railways Ministry’s executive director of information and publicity (Railway Board) the authority to issue takedown notices directly to social media platforms under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. Earlier, such requests had to be routed through the IT Ministry’s Section 69A blocking committee, as per the report. 

The February 17 notice stated that the Railways Ministry was empowered under this provision to issue takedown orders “to remove/disable access to URLs, accounts, etc., where unlawful advertisements, endorsements, promotional content, etc., are published.” It also cited Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Under this rule, upon receiving “actual knowledge” in the form of a court order or notification by an “authorized agency,” intermediaries must remove illegal content within 36 hours. Failure to comply can lead to loss of safe harbour protection under Rule 7 of the IT Rules, making platforms legally liable for the content they host.   

Stricter Crowd Management Measures Implemented  

Amid growing scrutiny, the Delhi Rail Division has implemented stricter crowd management protocols. A circular dated February 19 directed station officials to seek clearance from the Railway Protection Force before allowing trains to arrive at platforms 8 to 16. These platforms handle heavy footfall from trains connecting eastern cities like Prayagraj, Patna, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Howrah.