NCPCR writes to FB, Instagram over Rahul's post revealing Delhi rape victim's kin identity

Following the row with Twitter regarding Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s post which revealed the identity of family members of a rape victim, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has now written to Facebook and Instagram regarding the matter. According to the sources, the two social media sites have also been notified regarding the violation of Indian laws on their platforms. The NCPCR had earlier asked Twitter India to take action against the image shared by the Congress leader, as it violated provisions of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act.

The NCPCR had further asked the microblogging platform to remove the photo and Delhi Police was directed to take action against Rahul Gandhi regarding the same. On Thursday, Twitter blocked the official account of the Indian National Congress and 5000 other leaders' accounts for 'violation of rules', including Rahul Gandhi himself. Now, the commission has written to social media sites Facebook and Instagram, run by Mark Zuckerberg-led Facebook to remove the post. The NCPCR informed that the Congress leader’s post was still visible.

Rahul Gandhi's post revealing the identity of rape victim's family

Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, shared an image of himself with the parents of a Dalit minor who was allegedly raped and killed in the national capital. The faces of the parents were visible in the photo. Sharing the image of him engaging in a conversation with the parents of the minor child, Gandhi wrote, "The parents' tears are saying only one thing - their daughter, the daughter of this country, deserves justice. And I am with them on this path of justice."

Following the post, NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo took to Twitter to inform that revealing the identity of the girl by tweeting a photo of her parents is a violation of the POCSO Act. “Taking cognisance of this, the NCPCR has asked Twitter India to issue a notice to Rahul Gandhi and remove the post," the NCPCR had said in a tweet. The notice issued to the resident grievance officer of Twitter India revealed that the commission had received a complaint that the photo shared by Gandhi "reveals the identity of the girl."

Rahul Gandhi breaks silence on Twitter block

Breaking his silence over being blocked on Twitter, ex-Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that Twitter was making it business to define Indian politics. Lashing out at the micro-blogging site, the Wayanad MP stated that the company had attacked the democratic structure of the country by blocking him. He went on to say that it was shutting down not just him, but his followers too.

"A company is making its business to define our politics and as a politician, I don't like that. This is an attack on the democratic structure of the country. This is not an attack on Rahul Gandhi, this is not simply shutting Rahul Gandhi down," said Gandhi in a video statement. "I have 19-20 million followers. You are denying them a voice. They are breaching the idea that Twitter is a neutral platform. It is very dangerous for investors to take sides as it can have repercussions. It is obvious now that Twitter is not neutral, but is a biased platform and listens to the government of India," the Wayanad MP added.

Delhi rape case

On August 1, in Delhi's Old Nangal village, a 9-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by a priest and three others while fetching water from a nearby crematorium. The four accused later approached the victim's mother half an hour later, claiming that she died after being electrocuted while getting water from the cooler. They not only dissuaded the mother from calling the police citing that the doctors "will steal her daughter's organs" but also allegedly made her agree that it was better to cremate the body. After the parents filed a complaint, police arrested the four accused of murder, rape, criminal intimidation under sections of Indian Penal Code, POSCO Act and  SC/ST Act.

(IMAGE: PTI/ UNSPLASH)