The Caravan, Kisan Ekta Morcha, 250 Other Twitter Accounts Running ‘Farmer Genocide’ Hate Hashtag Suspended On Govt Order

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) directed Twitter to block around 250 Tweets and Twitter accounts which were making fake, intimidatory, and provocative Tweets on 30 January using 'Modi Planning Farmer Genocide' hashtag, reports ANI.

The Twitter accounts that have been withheld include that of The Caravan (@thecaravanindia) and Kisan Ekta Morcha (@Kisanektamorcha).

The account of Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar (@shashidigital) was also suspended by the Twitter algorithm as he raised the issue of the problematic hashtag in a Tweet.

Reportedly, the step was taken on recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs and law enforcement agencies to prevent “any escalation in the law and order problems in the light of the ongoing farmer agitation”.

The “incitement to genocide” produces a grave threat to the public order. Therefore, MEITY ordered blocking of such accounts under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

On 31 January, the Delhi Police had filed a first information report (FIR) against "The Caravan" magazine on the charge of misleading and providing false information that a farmer was killed due to police firing at the ITO intersection in Delhi during the tractor rally on Republic Day.