Micro blogging site Twitter has removed the controversial July 2 tweet of film maker Leena Manimekalai. Leena had released a poster of her film ‘Kaali’ via a tweet which led to nationwide protests. The message from twitter said “This Tweet from @LeenaManimekali has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand”.
On Wednesday, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister warned to impose a ban on the film ‘Kaali’, if the objectionable poster showing the Goddess smoking a cigarette is not removed. Terming it as an insult of Goddess Kali and of Hindus, the Minister also said that if the poster is not removed, the government will lodge an FIR against the film director.
Later on Thursday, the Cyber Intelligence and Cyber Crime Police, Bhopal registered an FIR and issued a notice to the San Francisco, USA based office of the micro blogging site Twitter asking them to remove the unlawful content and to provide the relevant evidence for the investigation –prosecution of the case.
It further said that failing in this will make twitter liable to be prosecuted for the abetment (Sec 84) or conspiracy or committing the offense , mentioned in the aforesaid FIR subject to the outcome of the investigation.
Madhya Pradesh police on Thursday sent a notice to Twitter, asking it to remove access to the ‘objectionable’ content posted by Canada-based film-maker Leena Manimekalai regarding her documentary “Kaali”. The access should be removed within 36 hours, police said, a day after registering two FIRs against the film-maker for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
The notice said the content was “unlawful” as per section 295-A of the IPC (hurting religious feelings), under which First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against Manimekalai in Bhopal and Ratlam on Wednesday.
Twitter should “expeditiously remove access to the aforesaid illegal material/content” within 36 hours “without vitiating the evidence in any manner,” the notice added.