SGPC writes to Twitter CEO to block hateful tweets against Sikhs

In a letter to the microblogging and social networking service company, apex gurdwara body president Bibi Jagir Kaur has sought instructions for Twitter’s India-based staff to monitor, flag and remove hateful tweets against Sikhs

Comparing hateful tweets against Sikhs with the anti-Jew propaganda of the Nazis in Germany, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Wednesday asked Twitter to block handles posting hate speeches against the community.

The apex gurdwara management body has said that the social media vilification of the community has intensified since the farmers’ protest that Sikh organisations have strongly supported. (HT file)

In a letter to the chief executive officer (CEO) of the microblogging and social networking service Jack Dorsey, the gurdwara body president Bibi Jagir Kaur has sought instructions for Twitter’s India-based staff to monitor, flag and remove hateful tweets against Sikhs.

She termed the ‘direct and deleterious hate-filled’ tweets against the Sikhs as the result of state farmers’ movement against the three agri-laws that the Centre has passed.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping on the borders of Delhi since November 26, demanding a repeal of these laws.

“Sikh organisations have supported farmers’ movement in India. Since then, there have been a lot of direct and deleterious hate-filled tweets against Sikhs on Twitter. These hate tweets have intensified after the recent resolution passed by the SGPC against the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)’s bid to make India a Hindu Rashtra,” Kaur says in the letter.

The apex gurdwara management body had passed the resolution last month during its budget session. The resolution had also called upon the Centre to work for the protection of the rights and freedom of religion of all religions instead of being ready to implement RSS’ efforts.

In response, BJP national spokesperson RP Singh had said that the SGPC kept raising false bogey of Hindu Rashtra to cover up its failures, especially in terms of the Sikhs embracing Christianity in Punjab.

The SGPC chief termed the hate tweets an attempt to create bitterness between Hindus and Sikhs. “At the same time, after the unfortunate incident in Malout with Abohar MLA Arun Narang, there has been an open attempt to create hate against the Sikhs and also bitterness between Hindus and Sikhs,” she said, alleging that calls of repeating 1984 genocide with the Sikhs, calling farmers as terrorists are commonplace on Twitter.