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We Do Not Support 'Dangerous' Hindu Nationalist Group for Staff's Safety, Says Facebook India

In October, the head of policy at Facebook India, Ankhi Das, resigned after being accused of intervening to allow anti-Islamic posts which had been put up by a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), allegedly on the grounds that banning the content would be bad for business. The Wall Street Journal reported the allegations against Das.
Sputnik

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a report on 13 December, alleging that Facebook India has been avoiding action against Bajrang Dal, a Hindu group with ties to India's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in an attempt to keep its business and staff safe. 

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Responding to media queries, a Facebook spokesman on Monday denied the report saying that an organisation's political importance cuts no ice with it when it is deciding whether to flag dangerous or sensitive posts on its platform used by more than two billion globally and over 365 million in India.

“We ban individuals or entities after a rigorous and multi-disciplinary process. We enforce our Dangerous Organisations and Individuals policy globally without regard to political position or party affiliation,” the Facebook spokesman told Sputnik in an email. 

In its report, the Wall Street Journal alleged that no visible action has been taken by the social-networking giant against posts by Bajrang Dal and its members despite the fact that Facebook's security tagged the organisation as “potentially dangerous... supporting violence against minorities across India”. 

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The US-based publication also noted that Facebook was lax about taking disciplinary measures after a video by the Bajrang Dal claiming responsibility for an attack outside a Delhi church in June was “allowed to collect” more than 250,000 views. 

Citing an internal report by Facebook to which it had gained access, the WSJ said the platform believes that “…besides risking infuriating India's ruling Hindu nationalist politicians, banning Bajrang Dal might result in Facebook's personnel or facilities being attacked."

Formed in 1984, Bajrang Dal is a Hindu nationalist organisation, under the wing of BJP'S parent party - Rashtriya Seva Sangh (RSS). It's a religious militant organisation that forms the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad and its ideology ]is based on promoting Hinduism while safeguarding Indian society and traditions against "westernisation". 

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