The government may initiate legal action against defiant social networking sites for refusing to clamp down web pages that spread malicious content that propagated a mass exit of North-East Indians from several cities across India.
The centre has put micro-blogging site Twitter in the spot, accusing it of not cooperating in government-led crackdown of the circulation and origin of the instigative messages online. Other website majors like Facebook and YouTube have already provided required details, which the centre officials said will help keep a check on the spread of the specific content.
Secretary R Chandrashekhar from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology confirmed the government's initiative of taking legal action against websites that fail to check misuse of their page content.
"Twitter is not cooperating and legal action will be taken against all websites which do not respond," Chandrashekhar told CNN IBN.
On Monday, the government ordered blocking of over 80 user-accounts, including popular sites for allegedly creating panic among the North-East communities. Those web pages were said to have carried morphed images and hate messages inciting communal violence across the nation. Already 254 websites were said to have taken down.
Tens and thousands of people from North-east residing in major metropolises like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune, fled to their home towns after rumours surfaced that they would face possible attacks post Ramzan.
On Sunday, Home Secretary RK Singh alleged that most of the threatening messages and morphed images of disaster victims came from Pakistan, saying that the government has evidence.
In a response to India's allegations, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik assured that his government will initiate a probe if the evidence were to be provided.
Singh said that India will soon share evidence with the neighbouring Islamic nation over the involvement of elements in Pakistan accused of triggering a mass exodus in the subcontinent.
