New Delhi: The parliamentary standing committee on Information Technology has summoned Facebook on September 2 to discuss the issue of alleged misuse of social media platforms in the wake of claims that the US firm did not apply hate speech rules to certain BJP politicians.

A day before, the panel will also discuss the issue of internet shutdowns.

Besides representatives of Facebook, the committee has also asked representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to remain present on September 2 to discuss on the subject of "safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space".

The notification came on a day when senior member of the committee and BJP leader Nishikant Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking removal of Shashi Tharoor as the panel's chairman, alleging that the Congress leader was using the platform for a political agenda.

For the September 1 meeting, representatives of ministries of communications and home affairs have been called, as also those from Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi governments, according to the agenda notifications issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Representatives of Information and Broadcasting Ministry, News Broadcasters Association, Press Council of India and Prasar Bharati have been invited for the discussion on 'Ethical Standards in Media Coverage.

 

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Shillong (PTI): An interstate racket involved in ATM thefts across several states has been busted, with the arrest of six persons in connection with a break-in at an electronic banking outlet in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district, police said on Wednesday.

The accused were allegedly involved in breaking into an ATM of the Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank on April 5, 2024, they said.

Three of the accused were arrested from Barpeta in Assam, while the remaining were apprehended from Haryana, police said.

Ri-Bhoi SP Giri Prasad M said a special police team was constituted to investigate the case.

"With coordinated efforts and assistance from Assam and Haryana Police, we were able to apprehend the accused involved in the ATM break-in," he told PTI.

The case was registered at Umiam police station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to police, the gang used gas cutters to break open the ATM safe and fled with the cash within minutes.

"The group is part of a larger network involved in similar ATM thefts across different states. Further investigation is underway to dismantle the entire network," the SP added.