The Indian government has asked Wikipedia to remove a wrong map that shows Aksai Chin as part of China, the Hindustan Times reported.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ajay Sawhney, issued the order to Wikipedia on November 27.
The government has invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology Act that empowers the Centre to block public access to any information online, according to PTI.
The matter came to light when a Twitter user pointed out that a map on a Wikipedia page about India-Bhutan ties had incorrectly depicted Indian territory. The Twitter user even shared a screenshot of the map.
Taking cognizance of the matter, the ministry issued an order on November 27 directing Wikipedia to remove the map as it violated the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India.
A government official told the Hindustan Times that Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Secretary Sawhney has written to Wikipedia, saying the content posted on its website was intended to “defame” the country and has the “potential to disturb the sovereignty and harmony of the nation”.
This is not the first time the government has taken up the misrepresentation of the map of India this year. Last month, the government had issued a notice to microblogging platform Twitter for showing Leh as part of Jammu and Kashmir instead of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
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