Twitter withheld an unspecified number of accounts in response to a “legal request” — and then restored them around 9 pm — on Monday. The accounts included those of newsmagazine Caravan, Kisan Ekta Morcha (the IT cell of Samyukt Kisan Morcha), tribal leader Hansraj Meena and actor Sushant Singh — all engaged with the ongoing farmers’ protests.
News agency ANI quoting “sources” reported that the ministry of electronics and information (MEITY) had asked Twitter to block around 250 tweets/Twitter accounts that were using a hashtag that was “fake, intimidatory and provocative” under section 69A of the IT Act. MEITY had acted on a request of the Union home ministry and law enforcement agencies, who asked for the suspension to “prevent any escalation of the law and order in view of the ongoing protests,” the news agency added.
However, the microblogging website later restored the accounts by 9 pm on Monday.
