Twitter has, in their handle https://twitter.com/GlobalAffairs exposed the censorship that is being carried out by the BJP Govt. https://twitter.com/GlobalAffairs/status/1760387644608192560?t=9QEgy68CU2ikSJQ57olOyg&s=19

The Indian government has issued executive orders requiring X to act on specific accounts and posts... a writ appeal challenging the Indian government's blocking orders remains pending...The lack of disclosure (of such orders) can lead to a lack of accountability and arbitrary decision-making.

Posts by Linda Yaccarino @lindayaX
X is an entirely new company working tirelessly to elevate all our priorities with a renewed philosophy on transparency..... In line with our commitment, we continue to work closely with the European Commission on our Digital Services Act (DSA) compliance.

Manu @mshahi0024 ...-Curbing Voices of Accounts,who are representing the protestor sides of stories, but Zero Actions on Accounts,who r spreading Consistent FAKE misinformation against the Protesters... Murder of Article 19.

Paul Koshy @Paul_Koshy·We are past the age of free speech and entering another age- an age of thought control. You will say what thought control prompts you to say. It is a serious problem.

Pooja Sangwan @ThePerilousGirl  Freedom of speech comes with duties but if someone not comply with those duties it's the government's responsibility to take action against those to maintain the sovereignty and integrity of India. Riot creators, mis information spreader, anarchy creators doesn't deserve freedom of spreading such venomous views over social media in a country of large diversity with the population of 140 crores the views that can be very harmful for the India as a nation and threat to the constitution of India. Law of the land is necessary you can not interrupt in law for the sake of freedom of speech.

Vertigo_Warrior @VertigoWarrior The law of the land must be respected. Accounts/ posts which spread misinformation, can lead to communal clashes or are a likely threat to the security may need to be restricted. Free speech is never absolute. Even x restricts reach based on the content they seem inappropriate

Darshan Pathak @darshanpathak  It is Indian Govt's responsibility to maintain law and order. It is well within its right to do what it is doing to prevent riots and violence. You will have to comply with all the orders. And you can shove your disagreement far up where the sun don't shine.

Bitcoin Bowhunter @CryptoBow82 We all know that any appeals will be delayed until after the election cycle! This is nothing more than a back door to censorship for political gains! Do better X

 ट्विटर ने बोला सच, सरकार बंद करा रही है अकाउंट https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb2vyx0Azrs 
Ravish Kumar Official

 

In the wake of the scheduled ‘Delhi Chalo’ farmers’ protest on February 13, the Haryana government on Saturday evening announced the suspension of mobile internet services from February 11 to February 13 in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa including Dabwali districts. \https://thewire.in/agriculture/internet-suspended-in-7-haryana-districts-as-farmers-plan-for-delhi-chalo-protest

In an order, additional chief secretary, Haryana government T.V.S.N. Prasad said that in view of the call for a farmers’ march/agitation given by certain organisations,”There is a clear potential of disruption of public utilities, damage to public assets and amenities and disturbance of public law and order in above mentioned districts on account of misuse of internet services by way of spread of inflammatory material and false rumours, which are being/could be transmitted/circulated to the public through social media/messaging services on mobile internet services, SMS services and other dongle services.” All Haryana telecom operators have been directed to ensure compliance with the order.

by Kusum Arora and Vivek Gupta 

11/02/2024

https://thewire.in/rights/umar-khalid-the-historian-his-continued-imprisonment-is-a-loss-to-the-academic-world

When a Muslim like Umar Khalid crosses boundaries, there is a further panic attack. A young articulate Muslim man who does not wear a skull cap, who is an atheist, who did his Ph.D. from JNU in history on Adivasis in Singbhum is seen as an anomaly in the segregated world the RSS wants to create. The attempt is then to reduce him to just one aspect of his identity – so that whatever else he does or says or writes in the end he must be seen merely as a Muslim, and by extension, violent, anti-national, and a threat to the “Indian mainstream”. So dangerous that he has been in jail for three years without bail. It is not surprising that so many of the young people who were arrested for the anti-CAA protests were Muslim students at India’s leading universities.

Umar’s thesis, titled ‘Contesting Claims and Contingencies of Rule: Singhbhum 1800 – 2000’, is a well-researched and deeply insightful exploration of the relationship between Adivasis and the state, in what is seen as one of the most ‘isolated’, ‘backward’ tracts of India, even as it is the site of extensive mining.

Umar argues that contrary to the received wisdom which has pitted a homogenous Adivasi society against the state, the state intervened through the fractures within Adivasi society.

Nandini Sundar

07/08/2023

https://thewire.in/books/vidarbha-literary-festival-curators-organiser-step-down-after-right-wing-threats 

 The three curators and organisers of the Vidarbha Literary Festival have stepped down, allegedly after right-wing activists began threatening them and approached key family members. The festival, exclusively catering to non-fiction writings and started just months before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, is scheduled to have its next edition in February 2024. But curators Sukhada Chaudhary and Pawan Sarda and organiser Ruta Dharamadhikari collectively decided to step down last week.

Sources privy to the developments at the festival said that activists belonging to right-wing organisations raised objection over four of the many speakers who were invited to the festival. The objection was against inviting journalists and authors like Aakar Patel, Josy Joseph, Shruti Ganpataye and Shivam Shankar Singh to the festival. For the February 2024 edition, around 40 speakers were invited.

11/10/2023

https://thewire.in/rights/academic-freedom-iisc-democracy-india 

In recent years, we have seen many such examples of the government intimidating the scholars working in the knowledge sector into silence. While academic freedom is being challenged, defamation lawsuits are becoming tools of harassment.

In 2022, India’s academic freedom index was in the bottom 30% among 179 countries, according to analysis by the V-Dem Institute. It flagged 22 countries, including India, China, the US and Mexico, where institutes recorded a slide in academic freedom over the past decade.

As part of the assessment, five indicators were used by the institutes. These include the freedom to research and teach, freedom to disseminate information, and the freedom of academic and cultural expression. The indicators also included encouraging a tradition of provocative thinking, controversial views, and non-conformity – which are conditions for sustaining a diverse and inclusive society.

Less discussed is how the decline in academic freedom impacts democracy itself. Democracy is not merely about protecting voting rights and conducting elections or maintaining the rule of law. While these are an important part of functioning democratic systems, the bedrock of democracy is a vibrant civic society.

In recent years, we have seen many such examples of the government intimidating the scholars working in the knowledge sector into silence. Information flow and civic discourses that encourage creativity are vital for a participatory democracy to thrive. While academic freedom is being challenged, defamation lawsuits are becoming tools of of harassment.

by C.P. Rajendran

08/07/2023