A new twist has arisen in the dispute, hours after a complaint was filed in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad against Twitter and eight others, including journalists and Congress politicians, for tweets connected to an elderly Muslim man’s attack that allegedly “provoked communal feelings.” The family of Abdul Samad, the elderly man who was assaulted, has disputed that he sells amulets, as claimed by the police.
When Abdul Samad was transported to a wooded location and held up in a chamber on June 5, he said he was made to sing “Jai Sri Ram” and “Vande Matram,” and his beard was chopped off by the accused. The UP Police Department, on the other hand, disputed any “community angle” in the case, claiming that he was beaten up for amulets he sold to some guys that “didn’t function.”
He was attacked by six guys, both Hindus, and Muslims, who he knew, according to authorities. According to the FIR filed against them, journalists Rana Ayyub and Saba Naqvi, as well as Congress politicians Salman Nizami, Shama Mohamed, and Maskoor Usmani, have been accused of spreading “misleading” postings connected to the event that was re-tweeted by hundreds of individuals. According to the lawsuit, Twitter has been accused of taking no action against the tweets despite Ghaziabad Police issuing a “clarification” on Monday.
His son, on the other hand, has denied the police’s allegations. “The cops are incorrect in their assertion that my father used to sell ‘tabeez’ (amulets). No one in our family works in this industry. We’re a team of carpenters. Let the police investigate and show what they’re claiming isn’t true “Abdul’s son, Babloo Saifi, informed NDTV.
“On June 6, we filed an FIR at the Loni police station,” he added. Babloo Saifi elaborated on his father’s earlier account, saying that on the day of the incident, Abdul Samad was brought forcibly to a desolate location after he boarded an auto. “My father was taken to a remote location by the guys. He was then beaten and his beard was shaved. My father’s life, on the other hand, was saved. For four hours, he was tormented “He said.
So far, three persons have been detained in connection with the incident. “When we looked into this matter, we discovered that he (Abdul) arrived from the Loni border area on June 5. Abdul Samad, an amulet maker, then traveled to Hazipur village. He was already familiar with the defendant. The guys, who were enraged at the amulets, had summoned him “In an official video statement, Ghaziabad police officer Iraj Raja is seen stating.
The FIR was lodged under IPC sections 153 (rioting), 153A (promoting enmity between different communities), 295A (acts designed to insult religious sensibilities), 505 (mischief), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (criminal conspiracy) (common intention).
Journalist Rana Ayyub tweeted this afternoon: “I shall wait for the truth to prevail at the earliest.” Journalist Saba Naqvi also posted her response in a tweet.
This is the first lawsuit against Twitter since the government implemented new guidelines for online news producers; official sources say Twitter may be held liable for third-party material. In a series of tweets today, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad remarked, “What occurred in UP was symptomatic of Twitter’s arbitrariness in battling false news.”
“While Twitter has been over-enthusiastic about its fact-checking mechanism, its failure to act in multiple cases like UP is perplexing and indicates its inconsistency in fighting misinformation,” he added.
