Twitter Withholds Owaisi’s Tweet Dubbing Jaipur-Mumbai Train Firing Incident As Terrorist Act After Directions From Govt

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s tweet dubbing the shooting incident on Jaipur-Mumbai train a terror attack has been blocked by Twitter, following a direction from the Indian government. 

The Hyderabad MP, on August 1, received a message from Twitter that said the company has received a legal demand from the Indian government to withhold the tweet as it violates the Information Technology Act 2000.  The RPF jawan and one of the victims could be seen in the video of the incident that the MP posted, along with other passengers nearby.

"My tweet on the #JaipurExpressTerrorAttack has been withheld in India on the request of Government of India. What law did it violate? Is calling a terror attack a terror attack a crime? Wish the Modi govt was this proactive in preventing hate crimes against Muslims," Owaisi said.

It is purportedly one of a number of linked tweets that Twitter has removed in response to an Indian government court order, including tweets on the shooting inside the Jaipur-Mumbai train by journalist Rana Ayyub.

“Indian law obligates Twitter to withhold access to this content in India; however, the content remains available elsewhere,” Twitter's notice to Owaisi read.

Four passengers were fatally shot inside a train on July 31 by Chetan Kumar, a policeman with the Indian Railway Protection Force (RPF). The victims include Tikaram Meena, a senior to Kumar, as well as Ajgar Abbas Shaikh, Abdul Kadarbhai Mohammed Hussain Bhanpurwala, and one additional unnamed traveler.