Days after journalist and ex-Amnesty India head Aakar Patel gave a call to violence on Twitter, his account is withheld by the social networking giant.
“Aakar Patel’s account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand” the landing page of his profile said. Earlier this week, an FIR was filed against him for saying that Muslims and Dalits should do protests like the ongoing protests in the USA againat George Floyd killing.
On 31st May, while quoting a tweet by Colorado Times Recorder featuring a video of thousands of people protesting in Capitol in Colorado, Aakar Patel had tweeted that India Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, women and poor also need to do protests like these. “We need protests like these. From Dalits and Muslims and Adivasis. And the poor. And women. World will notice. Protest is a craft,” he had tweeted.
The complaint filed by Nagaraja said that Patel called on minorities, backward, poor and women to stage protests like the one seen in the video. He said that several people had objected to Patel’s tweet.
Aakar Patel has been booked under IPC sections 505(1)(b) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility), 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 117 (Abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than ten persons).
Although the video posted by Aakar Patel showed a peaceful protest, the ongoing protests in the United States have been marked by widescale violence, rioting, arson and looting. The killing of African American George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis had led to nationwide protests, which soon descended into violence and riots. Protesters have attacked police teams and burnt police vehicles, looted retails stores, and burnt down houses and public places, including historic places. Several left-liberals have been calling for similar violent protests by Muslims in India. As a result, security agencies have become vigilant about such posts promoting violence in India in the line of violence in US.
Amnesty India
Amnesty India, an organisation Patel headed till some months back, defended the violent mobs and rioters of anti-CAA protests and even started a petition claiming India is curbing ‘freedom of expression’. Similarly, one Karthik Navayan, a human rights activist who was associated with Amnesty International India as per his Twitter bio back in 2018, had advocated violence against Brahmins in a tweet.
Amnesty India is currently under scanner for violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) laws.