AIMIM supremo and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s tweet calling the Jaipur railway shooting incident a terror attack against Muslims has been blocked by Twitter, following a direction from the Government of India.
On 1 August, Owaisi received a report from Twitter stating that it has received a legal demand from the Government of India to withhold the tweet as it violates the Information Technology Act 2000.
“Indian law obligates Twitter to withhold access to this content in India; however, the content remains available elsewhere,” the mail sent by Twitter to Owaisi read.
Owaisi had shared a video of the incident shot inside the train, in which the RPF jawan and one of the victims could be seen along with other passengers around them and the killer hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
His tweet read: “This is a terror attack that specifically targeted Muslims. It is the product of continuous anti-Muslim hate speech & unwillingness of @narendramodi to put an end to it. Will the accused #RPFJawan become a future BJP candidate? Will his bail be supported by the govt? Will he be garlanded when released? Happy to be proven wrong.”
“My tweet on the #JaipurExpressTerrorAttack has been withheld in India on the request of Government of India. What law did it violate? Is calling a terror attack a terror attack a crime? Wish the Modi govt was this proactive in preventing hate crimes against Muslims,” said Owaisi.
Tweet by award winning journalist Rana Ayyub was also blocked by Twitter, following a direction from the Government of India.
She said: “My tweet on the train incident has been withheld in India in response to a demand by the government of India. Twitter has written to me to inform of the same. So much for the mother of democracy”
Three of the four people shot dead by Railway Protection Force constable Chetan Singh on the Jaipur-Mumbai train on Monday, July 31, were Muslims. The killer, while committing the act, said, “If you want to stay in Hindustan, vote for Yogi (UP chief minister) & Modi (Prime Minister).”
Shortly after the incident occurred, its disturbing visuals surfaced on the internet.
In one such video, the accused, wielding an automatic service rifle, was heard saying: “Agar vote dena hai, Hindustan mei rahna hai, to Modi aur Yogi… Yahi do hai (If you want to stay in Hindustan, vote for Yogi (UP chief minister) & Modi (Prime Minister).”
Three passengers were identified as Abdul Qadirbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala (48), Akhtar Abbas Ali (48), and Sadar Mohammed Hussain while the police officer shot dead was identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Tika Ram Meena. Meena hails from tribal community.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable fired 12 rounds from his automatic service weapon on board the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Superfast Express Monday morning, killing his senior and three other passengers.
Sources said that the shooting followed an argument that took an anti-Muslim turn.
Officials said Singh was detained and taken into custody by the railway police. They said Singh, 33, got down at Borivali after pulling the train’s alarm chain to escape but later surrendered at the Bhayandar police station.
The incident, according to officials, took place at around 5 am when the train was reaching Vaitarna Railway Station, around two hours away from Mumbai.
