New Delhi, February 1: Hours after withholding several high profile accounts in India, microblogging site Twitter on Monday gradually restored them. The Twitter handles that were withheld earlier in the day included accounts of celebrities and organisations like Caravan Magazine, Kisan Ekta Morcha, Sushant Singh, Tractor2twitr among others. Twitter said that it had blocked these accounts in the interim in response to a valid legal request from the MeitY pending discussions with them. Twitter said its action was in response to a legal demand.
After gaining access on Twitter again, Kisan Ekta Morcha tweeted saying, “Is this tweet visible to Indian accounts?” to verify if it had gained access on the microblogging site. Meanwhile Caravan Magazine tweeted saying, "Our account has been restored. Today more than ever, it is clear that true media needs true allies. We thank our readers, subscribers and contributors for their unwavering support".Farmers' Protest: MHA Extends Suspension of Internet in Delhi's Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri Borders Till Tomorrow Night.
Here's the tweet by Caravan Magazine:
Our account has been restored. Today more than ever, it is clear that true media needs true allies. We thank our readers, subscribers and contributors for their unwavering support.
Contribute now to India’s finest long form journalism: https://t.co/ECRi82NJZu pic.twitter.com/OpVT37ZCEO
— The Caravan (@thecaravanindia) February 1, 2021
Here are the Other Twitter Handles that have been restored:
Welcome back @HansrajMeena https://t.co/DUOwb6ASwh pic.twitter.com/x7iewzjQzG
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 1, 2021
Here's the tweet by Hansraj Meena:
मेरा ट्विटर एकाउंट आप सभी के भरपूर साथ, समर्थन, सहयोग से ट्विटर इंडिया द्वारा पुनः चालू कर दिया गया है। सभी का दिल की गहराइयों से हार्दिक धन्यवाद व अभिनंदन करता हूँ। इंकलाब जिंदाबाद।
— Hansraj Meena (@HansrajMeena) February 1, 2021
The Twitter account of Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati, which had been withheld, was also restored.
Good to see action taken on this issue. https://t.co/aoDYg85Vgh
— Shashi S शशि शेखर (@shashidigital) February 1, 2021
"In our continuing effort to make our services available to people everywhere, if we receive a properly scoped request from an authorised entity, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in a particular country from time to time," the micro-blogging platform said in a statement. According to ANI, the Ministry of Electronics & IT ordered that the accounts and tweets be blocked under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. However, The Hindu, citing sources, reported that Twitter was likely to challenge the order as the accounts were not in violation of its policy.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 01, 2021 11:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).