Facebook India officials asked to appear before Delhi Legislative Assembly on Nov 18

The Committee, chaired by Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raghav Chadha, is investigating Facebook's alleged role in flaring "unprecedented communal disharmony and violence in Delhi," during the 2020 Delhi riots.

In an email sent to the Committee, Facebook India said that it is selecting an appropriate officer to appear before it and furnish a statement.

The Committee had earlier asked Facebook India to send a senior representative to depose on Nov 2 on the "role of social media in curbing the spread of false and malicious messages, which can fan disharmony and affect peace".

"In response to the Summons/Notice dated October 27, 2021, Facebook India has requested for an extension of 14 days to appear before the Committee on Peace and Harmony headed by MLA Raghav Chadha, in order to enable them to ensure the availability of senior representatives with the requisite knowledge and who are best placed to provide the Committee with the data required," a statement issued by the Committee said.

The Committee has so far examined crucial witnesses, including senior journalists, fact-checkers, digital rights activists and Facebook employees, in connection with the February 2020 riots in the national capital.

Some of those who have appeared before the committee include Facebook's former employee Mark S Luckie, journalists Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Prabir Purkayastha, Digital rights activist Nikhil Pahwa and Alt News Co-Founder Pratik Sinha.