Anil Vij
Twitter makes u-turn after deleting Haryana Minister Anil Vij's tweet on Disha Ravi
New Delhi/IBNS: Hours after deleting a tweet by Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij where he wrote "seeds of anti-nationalism... should be destroyed..." in connection with arrested activist Disha Ravi, the Twitter on Monday afternoon said the same "is not subject to removal" under rules governing extreme speech online.
Initially, Twitter had sent a notice to Vij claiming that his tweet was deleted based on a complaint from a user in Germany.
The complaint was under Germany's Network Enforcement Act - which obliges social network providers to delete unlawful content within a short timeframe.
In a Hindi tweet, the Haryana Home Minister wrote: "If seeds of anti nationalism have been sown in somebody's thought process, he/she should be destroyed from roots... whether she is Disha Ravi or anyone else."
देश विरोध का बीज जिसके भी दिमाग में हो उसका समूल नाश कर देना चाहिए फिर चाहे वह #दिशा_रवि हो यां कोई और ।
— ANIL VIJ MINISTER HARYANA (@anilvijminister) February 15, 2021
Hours later, Twitter made a u-turn and said the tweet by the minister is not subjected to removal under the guidelines of the microblogging site.
In the screenshot shared by Vij, a message from Twitter reads: "Twitter is required by German law to provide notice to users who are reported by people from Germany via the Network Enforcement Act reporting flow... We have investigated the reported content and have found that it is not subject to removal under the Twitter rules."
— ANIL VIJ MINISTER HARYANA (@anilvijminister) February 15, 2021
However, late on Monday night, a complaint was filed in Bengaluru seeking registration of an FIR against Vij for "his hateful statement calling for the killing of Disha Ravi on Twitter".
The complaint was filed a group called Campaign Against Hate Speech.
The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested the 22-year-old activist from Bengaluru in connection to the "toolkit" shared by teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and others on Twitter to show support for the ongoing farmers' protest against the Indian government's farm laws.
Ravi is one of the founders of the "Friday for Future" campaign.
It has been alleged that she edited the toolkit and sent it ahead.
In a court, Ravi, who has been accused of being the main conspirator, denied preparing the toolkit.
"I did not make the Toolkit. We wanted to support the farmers. I edited two lines on February 3," she had told the court.
On Monday during the media briefing, the police said that evidence against Disha Ravi was found from her cellphone data.
The entire row started when the Delhi Police lodged an FIR on Feb 4 against the toolkit that was tweeted by Thunberg while she expressed her support to the Indian protesting farmers.
Her tweet followed the violence and chaos that erupted in the national capital during the protesting farmers' tractor rally on Jan 26.
One farmer was killed and more than 100 police personnel were injured during the tractor rally by the farmers, who are protesting against the Centre's agricultural reforms, on the country's Republic Day on Jan 26.
The Delhi Police said the toolkit was found on a social media handle ahead of the violence and indicates a conspiracy behind the chaos on Jan 26.
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