Twitter India chief Manish Maheshwari has been booked by the Uttar Pradesh police in connection with the platform portraying a wrong map of India on its website, according to reports. Along with Maheshwari, one Chitra Singh has been booked under section 505(2) of the IPC — statement conducing to public mischief — and section 74 of the IT (Amendment) Act, 2008. Bulandsahr senior superintendent of police (SSP) Santosh Kumar Singh confirmed that a lawyer Praveen Bhati has lodged a FIR against officials of Twitter India for showing the incorrect map of India.
The complaint concerns a contentious map of India that appeared on Twitter’s job section under the heading ‘Tweep Life’ earlier this year. The map really depicted Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Ladakh, as a separate country, as it was discovered earlier last weekend.
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. The firm was also issued a second notice by Ghaziabad police to seek ‘account details’ of the suspects accused by the police of posting and promoting 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 official requested that the Supreme Court hear him before reaching any order, and that he be sent a copy of any appeal filed by Uttar Pradesh police.
Meanwhile, Twitter named Jeremy Kessel, its global legal policy director located in the United States, as the new grievance officer for India on Monday. The guidelines, on the other hand, stipulate that the post be filled by an Indian citizen.
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