Punjab Crackdown: Here Are All 122 Twitter Accounts Blocked Upon Govt Request

Platforms like Twitter are legally required to comply with government requests – but they are kept confidential.

A total of 122 Twitter accounts were 'withheld' at the request of the Indian government amid a crackdown on pro-Khalistan outfit Waris Punjab De and its chief Amritpal Singh in Punjab.

The government requested Twitter to take action against these accounts on Sunday, 19 March, according to the tech company's disclosure to the Lumen Database. Several tweets were also flagged by the government on the same day.

Twitter's disclosure clears up two things:

• The request to restrict access to 122 Twitter accounts in India was made by the Centre

• The request was made under the Information Technology Act, 2000

While the specific legal provision used by the Centre has not been mentioned, Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, gives it the "power to issue directions for blocking for public access of any information through any computer resource."

Why it matters: The Indian government's requests to take action against content are strictly confidential, as per the Blocking Rules, 2009. This means that a user's account or tweets can be taken down without saying exactly why.

What if Twitter says no? The platform could be in serious trouble if it doesn't comply with the government's request to take action against certain content. "The intermediary who fails to comply with the direction issued under sub-section (1) shall be punished with an imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine," Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, reads.

However, Twitter legally challenged some of the government's block orders on tweets and accounts last year. The court proceedings are still ongoing.

What's Happening in Punjab? 

The Punjab Police are on the lookout for Amritpal Singh, after cases of alleged hate speech were filed against him and his supporters last week.

Singh had led a massive protest against the Punjab Police a few weeks ago after the detention of his key aide Lovepreet Singh. His supporters had allegedly broken through barricades and barged into the Ajnala Police Station. Lovepreet was later released citing lack of evidence.

Since Sunday, over 112 people have been arrested by the police while four of Singh's aides have also been booked and taken to Dibrugarh in Assam. The next day, Amritpal Singh's uncle and driver also surrendered to the police.

As part of the statewide crackdown on Waris Punjab De, internet and SMS services were shut down in Punjab. While it has reportedly been lifted in some areas, the blackout continues in others parts of the state, according to SFLC's internet shutdown tracker.