India’s main opposition party Congress on Thursday claimed that its official Twitter account has been blocked by the microblogging site, sharing a screenshot of its profile on Facebook and Instagram.
In a message posted in Hindi, the party said: "We were not scared when our leaders were put in jails, then why'd we be afraid when our Twitter accounts have now been locked? We are the Congress... we will fight, [we will] continue to fight.”
“If raising a voice for justice for a rape victim is a crime, we will commit such crime 100 times. Hail India… Truth Shall Prevail,” the message further read.
In an Instagram post, the party blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the suspension.
Apart from this, the Twitter accounts of several prominent Congress politicians have also been frozen for “violating rules against posting private information”.
These leaders include Congress national spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, and Telangana state's party leader Manickam Tagore along with two other key members: Ajay Maken, and Sushmita Dev.
In each case, the content was found in breach of Twitter rules, and the user was asked to appeal in case he/she thought it was incorrectly blocked.
Clarifying its position regarding the blocking of the accounts of the Congress party and several party leaders, a Twitter spokesperson said the company’s rules are enforced judiciously and impartially for everyone on its service.
“We have taken proactive action on several hundred tweets that posted an image that violated our rules, and may continue to do so in line with our range of enforcement options. Certain types of private information carry higher risks than others, and our aim is always to protect individuals’ privacy and safety. We strongly encourage everyone on the service to familiarise themselves with the Twitter Rules and report anything they believe is in violation,” the spokesperson added.
Other Congress leaders have reacted sharply to Twitter's move.
Just a few days ago, the account of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was also suspended, after he'd posted an image showing a Dalit couple mourning the death of their nine-year-old daughter, who was allegedly raped and murdered in the capital last week.