Several users of microblogging platform X on Saturday complained that their posts about a teacher ordering kids to slap their Muslim classmate had been blocked in India.
In a video widely circulated on social media, a teacher, identified as Tripta Tyagi, can be seen asking the students of Neha Public School in Khubbapur village in Muzaffarnagar to hit the Muslim child. Tyagi also encourages the children to hit the crying student harder while declaring that all Muslims children should be taught a lesson.
The incident led to widespread criticism on social media, with many people calling for the teacher to be arrested. However, the posts were said to have been withheld in the country “in response to a legal demand”.
“Hello @X @TwitterIndia May I kindly know why exactly my tweet has been upheld? Neither the language nor the thought behind it is derogatory towards anyone. I’m not spreading any fake news like most others. So is it plain pressure from the establishment?” asked actor Urmila Matondkar.
Among those whose posts were withheld was Shadab Khan, who was said to have first posted a video about the incident on X platform.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate alleged that the Union government on Friday issued emergency orders to Twitter to block the video of the child being slapped. She also said that on Saturday morning, the Narendra Modi government issued additional orders to block links and hashtags about the case.
She went on to say: “Gagging the net is not the solution – introspect on how a teacher is so vile and full of bigotry that she singles out a boy for his religion and gets his own classmates to slap him. I heard that woman on a TV show say it will be difficult for teachers to teach if they will be pulled up like this. No you shameless bigot, your actions erode the trust that parents place in schools and teachers when they send their child there to study. This woman needs to be jailed and face law of the land.”
“Can @TwitterIndia explain what’s wrong in this tweet that warrants blocking in India? Speaking about the trauma of a child is a crime?” asks journalist Rohini Singh.
Meanwhile, the teacher, Tripta Tyagi, was on Saturday booked on non-cognisable charges based on a complaint by the child’s parents. The non-cognisable nature of the case means that the police cannot arrest the accused without a warrant, and need permission from a magistrate to start an investigation.
