Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari booked over wrong map of India

This is the second time Twitter has misrepresented India's map

Yet another FIR was lodged against the Twitter India MD in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahar town for displaying a wrong map of India showing Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh as separate countries.

According to the police sources here, Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari and journalist Amrita Tripathi had been booked under section 505 (conducing to public mischief) of the IPC and section 74 of the IT Act (publication for fraudulent purpose).

The FIR was lodged at Khurja Kotwali in Bulandshahar late on Monday night on the complaint of Praveen Kumar Bhati, a lawyer and an office-bearer of the saffron outfit Bajarang Dal.

Bhati said that Twitter India had 'deliberately' portrayed Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh as separate countries. Police officials in Bulandshahar said they were investigating the matter.

Also read — Twitter removes distorted India map after uproar

It was the second FIR against the social media giant in UP.

Earlier, the Ghaziabad police had booked Twitter for ''inciting communal enmity''. The cases were lodged after Twitter lost legal protection following non-compliance with the new IT rules. Some others, including scribe Saba Naqvi and the news portal The Wire were also booked in this connection.

The Karnataka high court had granted protection to Maheshwari from any coercive action by the UP police. The UP government has challenged the high court order in the Supreme Court.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had defended the action against Twitter and said that the state government would sternly deal with anyone found to be spreading fake news or fake videos. ''We will not accept any attempt to vitiate the communal atmosphere,'' Adityanath had said.