DELHI: Social media platform X, formally known as Twitter, on Thursday, disagreed to the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs to block accounts and posts associated with the ongoing farmers' protests.
The Ministry of Electronics and IT, had instructed the social media platform to temporarily restrict 177 accounts connected to the farmers' protests.
In response, X urged for the extension of freedom of expression, rejecting the government's request. "The Indian government has issued executive orders requiring X to act on specific accounts and posts, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment. In compliance with the orders, we will withhold these accounts and posts in India alone; however, we disagree with these actions and maintain that freedom of expression should extend to these posts," X said in a post
The affected users have been informed about the government actions following the social media company's policies.
Farmers nationwide are rallying to advocate for their rights, including a legal assurance for the minimum support price (MSP) for crops and the forgiveness of farm debts.
In the midst of these events, leaders of the farming community decided to temporarily suspend their march to the national capital for a period of two days. This decision came after a protester lost their life, and approximately 12 police officers were injured during clashes at one of the protest sites along the Punjab-Haryana border on Wednesday.