After a row over Twitter showing the geo-tag location of Leh as part of China, the Centre has warned US-based microblogging platform saying that any misrepresentation of Indian map on its platform is in violation of the law.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Secretary Ajay Sawhney wrote a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, conveying strong disapproval of the government over misrepresentation of the map of India.
The IT secretary, in his letter, has reminded Twitter that Leh is the headquarter of Union Territory of Ladakh and both Ladakh as well as Jammu and Kashmir are integral and inalienable parts of India, governed by the Constitution of India.
The government had asked Twitter to respect the sensitivities of Indian citizens and has also made it clear that any attempt by Twitter to disrespect sovereignty and integrity of India, which is also reflected by the maps, is totally unacceptable and unlawful.
Earlier, Twitter had shown geo-location of Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, People’s Republic of China.
Issuing a stern warning, the IT secretary has said that such attempts not only bring disrepute to Twitter but also raise questions about its neutrality and fairness as an intermediary.
Reacting to the government letter, Twitter said, “Twitter remains committed to working with the Government of India. We respect the sensitivities involved and have duly acknowledged the letter."
National Security Analyst Nitin Gokhale, who had gone live on Twitter near the Leh in Ladakh on 18 October, had said that his map location displayed Jammu and Kashmir, People’s Republic of China.
Ladakh was carved out from Jammu and Kashmir and granted the union territory status on August 5 last year when the centre scrapped the special status and split it into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Leh is headquartered of Ladakh Union territory.
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