Twitter takes down Adityanath's controversial tweets on EC's directive
New Delhi: Two tweets by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath with communal overtures have been taken down by Twitter following a directive from the Election Commission, sources said Wednesday.
The tweets posted on April 5 had referred to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) as a "green virus". The IUML had moved the commission against the tweets and had urged it to block Adityanath's twitter account.
"The tweets have been removed from the timeline of the Twitter account of the UP CM," an official said.
A message in place of the tweets reads, "This Tweet from @myogiadityanath has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand."
The development comes after the EC Monday imposed a 72-hour campaigning ban on the chief minister for making communal remarks at a recent election meeting in Meerut. The ban came into force from Tuesday morning.
"If the Congress, the SP and the BSP have faith in Ali, then we too have faith in Bajrang Bali," Adityanath had said at the rally, attracting the ire of the EC.
He had also been making the "green virus" remark at election rallies across Uttar Pradesh.
Social networking platforms Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook had removed more than 500 posts, advertisements, accounts and other objectionable content found to be violating the model code of conduct (MCC), following directions from the EC, between April 10 and 11.
"Facebook 468 posts were reported and removed. The posts included violations of MCC and voter misinformation. One post from Karnataka, two posts from Assam and the remaining from Telangana. 32 ads active in Telangana were removed," the EC had said on April 11.
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26 killed, 61 injured in blast at fireworks factory in China
Beijing (PTI): At least 26 people were killed and 61 others injured in a massive explosion at a fireworks factory in China's Hunan province, officials said on Tuesday.
The explosion occurred on Monday afternoon at the plant operated by the Huasheng fireworks manufacturing and display company in Liuyang, a county-level city under Changsha, the provincial capital.
Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed massive destruction of property spanning several kilometres.
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More than 480 rescuers, organised into five teams, have been deployed for relief operations, with three rescue robots pressed into service.
Officials said 26 people were killed and 61 others were injured. The injured have been rushed to hospitals for treatment, while a second round of search operations is underway.
China is a leading manufacturer and exporter of fireworks.
As the explosion site is located near two black powder warehouses, the rescuers have evacuated nearby residents and set up a buffer zone to prevent a secondary accident, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The Ministry of Emergency Management has dispatched experts to the scene to guide rescue efforts.
The person in charge of the company has been detained by police and the cause of the accident is being investigated, the report said.
