Modi govt blocks BBC Punjabi’s Twitter account
Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government has blocked BBC Punjabi’s Twitter account in India for exposing its atrocities on Sikhs and other minorities.
The development comes amid ongoing police crackdown against pro-Khalistan leaders and activists including Amritpal Singh in the Indian state of Punjab.
A message on BBC News Punjabi’s account page says: “Account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand.”
Earlier in March, the Mod government blocked at least six youtube channels for promoting pro-Khalistan sentiments. Apurva Chandra, the secretary for information and broadcasting, said that during the last ten days, six to eight foreign-operated YouTube channels had been disabled. He claimed that the Punjabi-language channels were attempting to stir up unrest in Punjab.
The Indian government had, in January, banned the BBC documentary ‘The Modi Question’ that exposed the role of Narendra Modi in the 2002 anti-Muslim Gujarat riots. Following the release of the documentary, the Indian income tax Department conducted raids at the BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai, subjecting its staff to harassment and intimidation.
Meanwhile, the latest action against the BBC News Punjabi’s Twitter account has drawn criticism from journalists and observers in India.
“You have a media picking up plants, running pics of Amritpal without any sourcing, making any claim they want, but the journalism that gets pulled down on twitter by BBC Punjabi is one that adheres to the requisite professional standards. All this govt wants left is propaganda,” wrote The Caravan’s Hartosh Singh Bal.
