Delhi Assembly panel summons Facebook representative to depose on 2020 riots

The Delhi Assembly's Peace and Harmony committee has asked Facebook India to send a senior representative to depose before it on November 2 over the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi, according to an official statement said.

Since Facebook has lakhs of users in Delhi, the summons have been issued in accordance with the mandate of the Supreme Court judgment on July 8, 2021, the statement said.

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The court has held that the committee has the power to direct members and non-members to appear before it and depose on oath, it said.

The committee wants to discuss the "important role of social media in curbing the spread of false and malicious messages" which can fan disharmony and affect peace, it said.

At least 53 people had died and hundreds were injured in clashes between supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act and those opposing it between February 23 and February 26, 2020, in North East Delhi. The majority of the victims were Muslim.

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