Twitter faces heat as FIRs registered for depicting distorted India map

The Delhi Police said it has registered a case against Twitter on a complaint by the NCPCR for allegedly allowing access to child sexual abuse material on the social media platform

In more trouble for Twitter, an FIR was lodged in Uttar Pradesh against two senior officials of its India office over the social media platform putting up a distorted map of the country, while the Madhya Pradesh government said it will also initiate legal action against the microblogging giant over the issue.

The Delhi Police said it has registered a case against Twitter on a complaint by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) for allegedly allowing access to child sexual abuse material on the social media platform.

It is the latest in the run-ins between Twitter and Indian authorities. While the social media giant is mired in a row with the central government over not following the new IT rules, Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari was recently summoned by Ghaziabad police in UP in a probe into an objectionable video posted in connection with an assault on an elderly Muslim man.

The FIR in the wrong map issue was lodged at the Khurja Nagar police station in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday evening against Maheshwari and News Partnerships Head Amrita Tripathi under Indian Penal Code section 505 (2) (public mischief) based on a complaint by an office-bearer of right wing outfit Bajrang Dal.

Twitter had on Monday removed the wrong map that showed the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir outside India, following an uproar. Charges under Information Technology Act section 74 (publication for fraudulent purpose) have also been invoked in the case, according to the FIR.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said he has directed the state' Director General of Police (DGP) Vivek Johri to investigate the matter related to distorted map and take legal action in this direction.

Earlier, Twitter had shown Leh as part of China.

In Delhi, the police have registered an FIR against Twitter under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the IT Act for allegedly allowing access to child pornography on the microblogging platform on a complaint by the NCPCR.

This comes days after the NCPCR, the country's apex child rights body, asked Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) Anyesh Roy to explain why no action had been taken against In its letter, the NCPCR had asked the Delhi Police to book Twitter in the wake of the findings of its recent inquiry in which it had found that child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was easily available on the platform. The complaint was against Twitter Inc and Twitter Communication India, the police said.

Karnataka HC adjourns proceedings

The Karnataka High Court, which was hearing Maheshwari's plea for relief in the Ghaziabad case, on Tuesday adjourned to matter till July 5 after the Uttar Pradesh police urged it to defer the hearing.

Maheshwari, who lives in Bengaluru in Karnataka, was issued notice by the Ghaziabad Police asking him to report at its Loni Border police station on June 24 to get his statement recorded in the case.

The court had restrained the Ghaziabad police from initiating any coercive action against him.