'Seek Dubious sympathy': Police rebuts Twitter's 'intimidation' claim; foreign rep needed?

Downplaying Twitter's claims of the use of 'intimidation tactics' to enforce the new IT rules, the Delhi Police on Thursday countered the California-based micro-blogging site by asserting that the statement released is intentionally designed to 'impede a lawful inquiry' by a private enterprise. Terming the statement as 'mendacious', the Delhi Police reminded Twitter that the complaint had been filed by an Indian National Congress representative in the 'manipulated media' and alleged 'toolkit' case which effected the subsequent probe, thereby shunning the argument that the FIR had been filed at the behest of the Government of India. 

Significantly, the Delhi Police also reasoned, since Twitter had declared that the toolkit was 'Manipulated Media' it meant that the micro-blogging website had material information relevant to the probe which is why it had been asked to join the inquiry. Moreover, the Delhi Police remarked that the statement by Twitter on Thursday was devised to seek 'dubious sympathy' at a time when the US-based firm is not only refusing to comply with the law of land but also refrains from sharing material evidence with legal authority. 

"Its latest statements are devised to seek dubious sympathy when they themselves not only refuse to comply with the law of the land but also claim possession of material evidence but refuse to share it with legal authority duly recognized," the Delhi Police said on Thursday. 

Meanwhile, government sources have reported that the Centre has made it clear that a representative of Twitter, from its headquarters in California, needs to be present whenever the government seeks an explanation and not a representative of Twitter India. This comes at a time when Twitter has sought amendments changes in the new IT rules laid down while maintaining that it 'strives' to comply with the Centre's guidelines. 

The new IT rules were notified in February this year, with the government granting a time period to all social media outlets to fall in line with the guidelines laid down. However, sources had reported that until the deadline date i.e. May 25, only India's social media outlet Koo, had complied with the rules while others had sought an extension. The Centre has also taken umbrage at Twitter's repeated response that it awaits instructions from their company headquarters in the USA when told to fall in line with the new IT rules. 

Delhi Police reaches Twitter India offices 

On May 24, a team of Delhi Police's Special Cell reached Twitter's offices in Gurugram and Delhi to serve summons in the 'Manipulated Media' tag case. The Police had previously sent several notices asking the company to explain why the social networking site had flagged Patra's tweet as 'manipulated media.' Sources had revealed that instead of cooperating with the previous notices, the company had tried to overplay a routine procedure. Following the summons to Twitter, the Delhi Police on Tuesday summoned two Congress party workers who reportedly filed a complaint against Sambit Patra's 'toolkit' tweet to join the probe. 

Twitter issues statement on new IT rules 

Twitter on Thursday stressed that it will strive to comply with the guidelines. Expressing commitment towards protecting freedom of speech and privacy, a Twitter spokesperson revealed that the microblogging service plans to talk to the Union government for amending certain clauses of these regulations which restrict a free conversation on the platform. Lamenting the purported use of "intimidation tactics" by the police, it back a collaborative approach to safeguard the interests of the people. 

Centre takes on Twitter's 'baseless' statement

In a scathing response to Twitter's statement over the implementation of the new IT guidelines that came into force on May 25, the Ministry of Electronics and IT on Thursday lambasted the US-based micro-blogging website for attempting to 'dictate terms' in the world's largest democracy - India. Ridiculing Twitter's claims of 'intimidation tactics' by the Delhi Police, the Union Ministry downplayed the statement issued by the micro-blogging site on Thursday as 'totally baseless, false and an attempt to defame India'. In a stern message to the social media platform, the Union Government has said that Twitter needs to 'stop beating around the bush' and comply with laws of the land, asserting that it has no locus in 'dictating' what should India's legal policy framework be. 

"The Government of India respects the right of people to ask questions and also criticize these social media platforms including on Twitter. The Government equally respects the right of privacy. However, the only instance of scuttling free speech on Twitter is Twitter itself and its opaque policies, as a result of which people's accounts are suspended and tweets deleted arbitrarily without recourse," the Union Ministry said.