After micro-blogging site Twitter disrespected country’s sovereignty by depicting Leh as part of China, the Modi government has written a scathing letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey expressing disapproving over misrepresentation of map of India.
Ajay Sawhney, Secretary of Ministry of Electronics and IT (MEITY) has written a stern letter to CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey conveying strong disapproval of the government after the social media platform mentioned Leh as the part of China.
In his letter, the secretary IT reminded Twitter that Leh is 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.
According to sources in the ministry, Ajay Sawhney, on behalf of the government, has asked Twitter to respect the sensitivities of Indian citizens. He added that any attempt by Twitter to disrespect sovereignty and integrity of India, which is also reflected by the maps, is totally unacceptable and also unlawful.
Giving a warning to Twitter, Secretary IT also mentioned that such attempts not only bring disrepute to Twitter but also raises questions about its neutrality and fairness as an intermediary.
Twitter shows Leh as part of China in live broadcast
On October 18, Nitin A Gokhale, national security analyst took to Twitter to say that Twitter was marking Leh as part of the People’s Republic of China. Gokhale, who was doing a live session from Leh, said that Twitter marked his location as, “Nitin A Gokhale was live. Jammu and Kashmir, the People’s Republic of China”.
While reporting it on Twitter, he said he had tested multiple times, but it kept showing the location as the People’s Republic of China. The location remained the same after he entered Kushak Bakula Airport as his location. Another user (@rohitpandita000) went live on Nitin’s request, and the result was the same.
Later, following the controversy, Twitter stated that the issue was ‘technical’ and added that the issue of tagging of Leh as part of China in location tag for the live broadcast has been resolved. As per media reports, a Twitter spokesperson in an email said that they were made aware of the issue and it has been rectified.
