Kerala Opposition Claims 'Social Media Emergency' Amidst Post Removals
Kerala's opposition has accused the UDF government of imposing an 'undeclared social media emergency'. Posts and news reports concerning the arrest of Youth Congress leaders on drug charges, particularly those linking an accused to the Chief Minister, have allegedly been removed.
Key takeaways
- The LDF opposition in Kerala has accused the UDF government of imposing an 'undeclared social media emergency'.
- Removals reportedly targeted posts and news reports concerning the arrest of Youth Congress leaders on drug charges.
- Opposition claims these actions suppressed media freedom and news related to individuals allegedly linked to the Chief Minister.
- Allegations suggest misuse of the IT Act 2021 to block content, with questions raised about potential government complicity.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) opposition in Kerala has accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government of imposing an "undeclared social media emergency." This accusation stems from the alleged removal of numerous posts and news reports that pertained to the arrest of Youth Congress leaders on charges of synthetic drug peddling.
Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan stated that posts and news articles, including those featuring his own statements, were removed from platforms managed by Meta. Screenshots indicated that access to reports from Facebook pages of news outlets like News Malayalam 24X7, Reporter Live, Kairali News, and Deshabhimani were restricted within India, citing "legal requirements" under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Such regional blocking is often initiated by government requests.
Opposition figures claim that posts and videos showing one of the individuals arrested in connection with an MDMA case alongside the Chief Minister were also removed. Vijayan asserted that while the opposition supports the government's efforts against drug trafficking, intervention occurred when an individual identified as the Chief Minister’s social media coordinator was implicated. He compared the government’s actions to suppressing media and opposition freedom, reminiscent of the Emergency period, and questioned whether the government was protecting drug traffickers.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Central Committee member P. Rajeeve alleged that the UDF government is misusing the Union government’s IT Act 2021 to stifle criticism. Rajeeve contended that the law is intended for matters of national security, fake news, or hate propaganda causing law and order disruption, not for suppressing press freedom. He suggested this was a back-door encroachment on press freedom and questioned if the Modi government was complicit in facilitating these blocks to support the UDF government.
Other CPI(M) leaders, including Students Federation of India (SFI) State president M. Sivaprasad, former Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal, and former Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, also condemned the blocking of news and social media content. The government has not yet responded to these allegations.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
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