Hateful content: Delhi Assembly panel to summon Facebook officials
New Delhi: A Delhi Assembly panel on peace and harmony said on Monday that it will summon Facebook officials over complaints about the social media platform's alleged "deliberate and intentional inaction to contain hateful content" in India.
The development comes in the backdrop of a report published in the Wall Street Journal on Friday, citing interviews with unnamed Facebook insiders to claim that one of its senior India policy executives intervened in internal communication to stop a permanent ban on a BJP MLA from Telangana after he allegedly made communally charged posts.
An official statement by the Delhi Assembly committee stated that after careful deliberation on allegations levelled in the complaints received, the panel, chaired by AAP MLA Raghav Chadha, has decided to take immediate cognisance of this issue.
"In view thereof, it compels the committee to take immediate notice and get to the root of this issue with a view to painstakingly discern if there is any role or complicity of Facebook official in the orchestration of Delhi riots," it stated.
"Summons are set to be sent for appearance of the officials concerned of Facebook and more importantly, Ankhi Das, in due course to ensure their presence before the committee for participating in the relevant proceedings and the committee shall convene its meeting this week to initiate the proceedings forthwith," the statement said.
Das is Facebook's Director, Public Policy, India, South and Central Asia. Meanwhile, Facebook on Monday said its social media platform prohibits hate speech and content that incites violence and these policies are enforced globally without regard to political affiliation.
"We prohibit hate speech and content that incites violence and we enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone's political position or party affiliation.
"While we know there is more to do, we're making progress on enforcement and conduct regular audits of our process to ensure fairness and accuracy," a Facebook spokesperson said.
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Karnataka: College student dies by suicide in Dharwad, 3 policemen suspended
Dharwad (Karnataka) (PTI): A college student allegedly died by suicide here, following which three policemen were suspended over allegations of harassment linked to his death by the victim's family.
Aditya Myageri, a BSc student at a private college here, was among 18 students detained by the Vidyagiri police on April 25 during an anti-drug drive, police said on Wednesday.
He hailed from Belur village in Bagalkot district, but was staying with his friends at a rented accommodation in Girinagar area of Dharwad city, police said.
Among the 18 students tested, Aditya was among the 10 who had tested negative for ganja consumption and was subsequently released.
Some of his roommates, however, tested positive.
According to police, Aditya's family alleged that despite testing negative, he was harassed by police. They also claimed some policemen demanded Rs 2,000 to settle the matter and threatened legal action if he failed to pay.
He had called his mother asking for money, but she could not arrange it immediately, the family claimed.
On Monday night, Aditya allegedly died by suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan at his rented accommodation, with his family alleging police harassment and pressure over demand for money drove him to the extreme step, a senior police officer said.
Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar told PTI that an unnatural death case has been registered at Vidyagiri police station. Three policemen have been suspended over the allegations, and further investigation is underway.
