Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad Police on Monday warned Twitter India managing director (MD) that his failure to report to and join its investigation on June 24 in the case of the circulation of a communally sensitive video on its platform would amount to a hindrance in its probe, entailing legal consequences.In a second notice sent to Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari, Ghaziabad senior superintendent of police (SSP) Amit Pathak warned him that his failure may result in his prosecution for hindering the probe.The new notice was sent to him on late Monday evening after Maheshwari offered to join the investigation through video conference, a senior police officer said.In response to the first notice of the police, Twitter India had also conveyed to them that the information sought by the Ghaziabad Police did not pertain to Twitter India but Twitter Inc, its global head office.In the second notice sent to Twitter India’s Delhi office at Shahid Bhagat Singh Place in Gole Market, SSP Pathak sternly told the MD that the “e-mail sent by you shows that you are escaping the responsibility of cooperation with the police in the investigation”.Also read: On Centre’s Request, Twitter Blocks at Least 50 Posts Related to Ghaziabad Attack“Clarification given by you is inappropriate. Being the MD of Twitter in India, you are the representative of the company. Therefore, you are bound by the Indian law to cooperate in the investigation,” SSP Pathak said in the second notice slapped on Maheshwari, under Section 41A of the Criminal Procedure Code.The SSP squarely held the MD responsible for the circulation of the communally provocative video, in which an elderly Muslim man of Bulandshahr was seen crying on June 14, accusing four youths of beating him up, chopping his beard and asking him to chant “Jai Shri Ram”.“In the public interest and for the sake of the security of the state, you are authorised and have the power to make the decision that which tweet is supposed to be publicised and which should be deleted,” Pathak told Maheshwari, reminding him of his editorial responsibility.“The message concerned, in which your cooperation is required, has enhanced tension in the state and the country and has hampered the communal harmony,” he added.“The Ghaziabad Police had tweeted (on June 14) through its official Twitter handle that the news broadcasted by you is fake. It was under your jurisdiction and you could have stopped spreading the false information but you failed in it,” Pathak said in the notice.Reminding the Twitter India MD of the consequences of failure in joining the investigation at Loni police station on June 24, Pathak further said, “Your absence would be treated as a hindrance to the investigation.”(PTI)
