Manipur women's video: Centre could act against Twitter over non-compliance
Manipur has been grappling with ethnic clashes for over two months. People in the tiny North-Eastern state have been at the receiving end of unprecedented atrocities during this time. A video of two women paraded naked by a group of men is an example of that. The video has led to nationwide outrage. However, it seems Twitter will bear the brunt of that.
Why does this story matter?
Violence has ravaged Manipur since early May. According to data submitted by the Manipur government before the Supreme Court, 142 people were killed as of July 4. Women have been often targeted during the ongoing clashes in the state. Many of those cases go unreported. We wouldn't have known about the story of the two women if not for social media.
Video could lead to law and order problems: Centre
After the video went viral, the Central government asked Twitter and other social media platforms to take it down. On top of that, the government is likely to take action against the Elon Musk-owned company. The government believes it is the platform's duty to prevent the circulation of videos that could lead to law and order problems.
Government doesn't want the video to affect the investigation
The government asked social media platforms to pull down the video as the matter is under investigation. It should be noted that the incident took place on May 4, a day after violence engulfed the state. According to the police, a complaint against unknown assailants was filed a month ago. Earlier today, Heradas (32)—the key accused—was arrested from Thoubal district.
The video brought the incident to nation's attention
It could be argued that if not for the video, the rest of India wouldn't have known about the incident. It forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on Manipur after 79 days. He said what happened to the women is "shameful for the whole country." After PM Modi's statement, Manipur CM N Biren Singh announced that an arrest had been made.
Government's directive to social media platforms has been criticized
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticized the government's directive to social media platforms. "Asking social media to follow Indian laws while allowing the CM to continue getting away from doing so shows the level of desperation & inability of the government to contain violence or fake news," she wrote on Twitter. The government is yet to confirm any action against Twitter.
