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In a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, NCM chairperson Wajahat Habibullah named a hash-tag on Twitter and said it was “replete with abuse against Islam and the Muslim community”. He asked Kumar to take action against the offenders.
“Action clearly requires to be taken against tweeters whose identities can surely be established by means of tracking their respective IP addresses,” Habibullah wrote.
The letter was also marked to the PMO, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Minister of Communications and IT Kapil Sibal and Minister of Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid.
“The tweets are highly insensitive and can have a disastrous impact on law and order situation in the country. We are awaiting response from the authorities now,” Habibullah told Newsline.
Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar has said “appropriate action” would be taken if the material is found “objectionable”.
“We are looking into the matter. In case we find the material objectionable, we will register a case under our Cyber Crime Cell,” Kumar said.
A Delhi-based political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla noticed the controversial tweets on Twitter and lodged a complaint at the Defence Colony police station last Friday.
“I checked the link after I saw it as the fourth most popular tag ‘trending’ on Twitter that day. Despite the offensive statements, the link has not been taken down by Twitter. Twitter must understand that such material hurt religious sentiments of people,” Poonawalla said.
It will be in order to recall that freedom of expression is above all other rights and sacrosanct as other wise Democracy will be in peril as it was during the period of Emergency in 1975. Who judges what is objectionable? It can be said with absolute certainty that those who are now clamouring for muzzling social media because a particular religion is being put under scrutiny are the same people who have been vociferously defending painter late M F Hussain's god-given right as artistic freedom to paint Hindu gods and goddesses in false and obscene depictions. Those interacting in social media are educated and restrained in their behaviour and can rebut all things objectionable whereas those going on the rampage in the streets are lumpen elements having no access to any social media but being instigated by vested interests with ulterior political motives of identity politics.
It is very concerning that one of the arguments cited by Mr. Wajahat Habibullah, is that such tweets will affect the safety of the nation. That almost seems like a thinly veiled threat. If the concern is the peace in our country we must also decide which is the right way of achieving it. Should we just silence everyone from stating their view, or should we insist that people become more tolerant. I would go so far as to say - we must be intolerant of intolerance. This is ridiculous. People have the right to say what they think. Period.
While Habibullah is correct in his complaint, he must also address the minority communities, both Christians and Muslims to refrain from writing extremely insensitive, abusive comments on the internet against Hindu faith. One thing triggers the other, and while it is difficult to say who starts it, or started it, but there must be some regulation whereby no one can write anything that is offensive to any one else. There has to be a level playing field.
why would any comment against Muslim have to have a "disastrous impact on law and order situation in the country"...claims of peace should be justified by action
