The Indian Railways Ministry has issued a notice to X (formerly Twitter), instructing the platform to remove 285 graphic videos from the February 15 stampede at New Delhi Railway Station.

This marks one of the first significant actions since the Ministry gained direct powers to issue content takedown notices in December.

Railways Ministry Asks X To Remove Stampede Videos

The ministry’s notice, sent on February 17, cited “ethical norms” and the platform’s own content policy. The notice emphasized concerns over the potential for the videos to create law and order issues. It also highlighted the impact on the operations of Indian Railways due to the “huge rush of trains” currently affecting the system.

The notice was aimed at content that was shared by several accounts. It focused on videos depicting deceased individuals, which violated the ethical guidelines as per the ministry. This notice comes as the second instance where the ministry has used its new powers.

Notice Issued To YouTube And Instagram

In January, similar notices were sent to YouTube and Instagram over content containing misleading or provocative information that could lead to law and order problems. However, it was unclear whether that notice related to a specific incident.

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, confirmed that it had complied with the takedown notice following a valid legal order, in reference to the January request.

Meanwhile, X’s content policy allows for the sharing of graphic media under certain conditions, such as proper labeling, avoiding prominent display, and ensuring the content does not glorify violence. The policy also maintains privacy and dignity, especially regarding deceased individuals.

The ministry’s action stems from a new authority granted to the executive director of information and publicity at the Railway Board on December 24, under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. This allows the Railways Ministry to directly issue takedown notices to social media platforms. Previously, such requests were routed through the IT Ministry’s Section 69A committee.

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