INDIA USES EMERGENCY POWERS TO REMOVE THE LINK
On Friday the Indian government invoked emergency powers to remove links of the BBC documentary from YouTube and Twitter that questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujrat riots.
Under the information technology rules, 2021 it has exercised those powers, which have been widely opposed by media organizations, social media platforms and digital rights on the grounds that they enable censorship.
In the Supreme Court and various High courts, the rules have been challenged along with the proceedings are currently undergoing.
In the past also the Centre has used such powers, this is not the first time. Government has asked YouTube to stop spreading information. However, this time it is a major international broadcast move which has drawn more attention.
India is one of the largest democracy in the world, consist of two main religious groups, included Hindus 80% of the population and Muslims around 14% of the population, according to 2011 census.
Since 2014, Mr Modi has been India’s Prime Minister and is currently serving his second term after his 2019 re-election.
However, towards India’s Muslim population the attitude of his government has been dogged by the persistence allegations.
According to official numbers, during the Gujrat riots which left more than 1,000 people dead and most of them were Muslims he was the Chief Minister there.
To investigate the role of Mr Modi and others during the violence a special investigation team appointed by the Supreme Court said in a report of 541 pages in 2012 it could find no evidence to prosecute the-then chief minister.
Later he take the seat of head of his party, the Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), which he led to control.
Next year elections are set to take place in India. On January 24, Tuesday the second part of documentary is due to be broadcast.
The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.