Vinay Kumar
NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Wednesday criticised a Delhi Police notice to social media platform X seeking the removal of allegedly derogatory and defamatory content targeting constitutional authorities, saying citizens have the right to question elected representatives and demand accountability.In a post on X, the CJP said criticism of public officials should not be treated as a criminal act and argued that citizens have a right to raise questions about the functioning of the government.“Since when is an elected representative above questioning? In a functioning democracy, citizens have every right to demand answers and accountability from their PM. By treating online criticism as a criminal offense and a threat to “public order”, the state machinery is sending a chilling message: the Prime Minister is beyond the reach of public scrutiny,” CJP wrote in a post on X.The CJP’s remarks came after Delhi Police wrote to social media platform X seeking the removal of content allegedly containing ‘derogatory, malicious and defamatory content’ targeting constitutional authorities.In its notice, the Delhi Police asked X to ‘immediately delete/remove’ the alleged post or video and provide complete details of the account that uploaded the content. The information sought includes the user’s full name, address, contact number and email ID.The police also sought the account’s login and logout details, along with corresponding timestamps and any other information that could assist the investigation.X has also been asked to preserve all data related to the post or video for the ongoing probe and provide a certificate under Section 63(4) of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).The latest notice comes days after Delhi Police directed multiple social media platforms to remove posts and videos containing offensive and abusive remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi that were allegedly uploaded during student protests at Jantar Mantar and the violence linked to the July 20 ‘Chalo Sansad’ march.According to police officials, several posts containing abusive language targeting the Prime Minister surfaced across social media platforms during the protests and subsequent clashes in the national capital.Delhi Police’s social media monitoring team has been scanning online platforms for objectionable content linked to the protests. Officials said notices are being issued to social media intermediaries whenever such posts are identified.Police said several posts and videos containing abusive remarks against the Prime Minister have already been removed following such notices.The monitoring exercise is continuing, with cyber and social media teams keeping track of online activity linked to the protests and identifying content that may violate applicable rules.The party’s statement comes amid heightened political tensions following the July 20 ‘Chalo Sansad’ march, during which students protesting alleged irregularities in NEET and CBSE examinations clashed with security personnel while marching from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament.The protests also triggered a wider political dispute over alleged police action against students and the registration of cases against protesters.The Supreme Court has separately been hearing pleas concerning alleged police excesses during the protests. The court has stressed the constitutional protection of peaceful protest while also noting that violence and attacks on police personnel cannot be permitted.
