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Facebook takes down Rahul Gandhi’s post on rape victim’s family
The Wayanad MP had on August 4 tweeted a photograph of his meeting with the family of the victim, after which there was a complaint against him filed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
Facebook on Friday removed content posted by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi that contained photographs of the family of a nine-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered in Delhi on August 1.
“We have taken action to remove the content as it was in violation of our policies,” a Facebook spokesperson said.
According to Facebook, its content enforcement decisions are neutral for anyone using its platform, irrespective of their political position or party affiliation. The company takes action against content if it violates its community standards or upon receiving a valid legal request under Indian laws.
“In this case, the family has pleaded for their safety in court. In view of their safety and to maintain the dignity of the victim, we have decided to take down the content from our platform,” a person familiar with the matter said.
The Wayanad MP had on August 4 tweeted a photograph of his meeting with the family of the victim, after which there was a complaint against him filed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). His Twitter account was locked for a few days and the controversial tweet withheld even as the BJP accused him and his party of politicising the matter.
On the same day, Gandhi shared a video on Instagram and posted on Facebook pictures of the family. While NCPCR’s notice to Facebook was only regarding the Instagram post, the company has also proactively removed the Facebook post.
Meanwhile, Twitter unlocked Gandhi’s account on August 14 after he submitted a consent letter by the parents of the victim, authorising him to use the image. A day earlier, on August 13, the victim’s family was heard telling news media that they had no objection to Gandhi sharing their photograph on social media as he did that in good faith.
But on Tuesday, the mother of the victim said something different to news channel Times Now. “We have not given consent to share the photos or reveal her (the victim) identity to anyone except the court,” the mother said.
The BJP on Tuesday launched an attack on Gandhi, calling him “insensitive”, and demanded that his Twitter account be locked again. “Rahul Gandhi has lost credibility and is a habitual liar. The public has locked his political account, now Twitter should also lock his account,” party spokesperson Sambit Patra said.
Suresh Chaudhary, a lawyer representing the victim’s parents, said his clients hold a “neutral position” on the issue of sharing their images. “My clients have told me that they neither gave any written consent (to share their photograph), nor have they submitted any complaint in this connection,” Chaudhary told HT on August 17.
There was no comment by the Congress on the action by the Facebook.
