After seven days of locking, Twitter on Saturday restored the restricted features of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's account, so now the politician is able again to react to tweets, interact on direct messages as well as post fresh tweets from his handle.
In a bid to get his account unlocked, Gandhi submitted to Twitter a copy of a formal consent letter from the people depicted in the image whose publication prompted his account to be restricted, asking the platform to make his account functional again.
"We have followed the necessary due diligence process to review the appeal in order to protect the safety and privacy of the affected individuals. We have updated our enforcement action based on the consent provided by the people depicted in the image", India Today quoted a Twitter spokesperson as saying.
On 1 August 2021, a nine-year-old girl from the Dalit community was allegedly raped, murdered, and then hurriedly cremated by the perpetrators, who are now in police custody in Delhi.
Following the incident, Gandhi visited the parents of the victim, demanding justice for "India's daughter". Pictures of the meeting were shared by the Congress leader on Twitter, showing him hugging and consoling the wailing parents of the deceased girl.
The same image was shared by the accounts of about 5,000 other Congress leaders and workers, as per India Today, all of whom were temporarily restricted as well. The official handle of the Congress Party was also locked.
India's National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issued a notice to Twitter India seeking action against the senior Congress leader for revealing the identity of an alleged rape victim's family, which is unlawful under the country's laws, as well prohibited by Twitter.
Congress members earlier this week staged a protest in Delhi against Twitter for suspending their party leader's account. Protesters burnt posters which bore slogans lambasting the micro-blogging platform.
The protesters accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of pressuring Twitter to restrict opposing voices against the backdrop of the ongoing monsoon session of the parliament.