Ghaziabad assault case: Notice issued to Twitter India chief, asked to record statement within 7 days

The Uttar Pradesh Police has issued a notice to Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari in connection with the Ghaziabad assault case. Police have asked the Twitter executive to record his statement within a week.

Police said that a case has been filed against Twitter India at the Loni border police station in Ghaziabad district for "provoking communal unrest". He has been asked to come to the Loni Border Police Station and record his statement.

Earlier, police booked Twitter, a news portal and six people for circulating a video in which an elderly Muslim man says he was thrashed and asked to chant "Jai Shri Ram". Police claimed that it was done to create communal unrest.

Police said that people did not verify the truth of the matter and shared it online with a communal angle with an intention to disrupt public peace and create a divide between religious groups.

The police action came within hours of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath exchanging remarks on Twitter over the incident.

In a video clip, which surfaced on social media on June 14, the elderly Muslim man, Abdul Shamad Saifi, is heard saying he was thrashed by some young men and asked to chant "Jai Shri Ram". However, the Ghaziabad police have ruled out a communal angle. It said the accused were unhappy about a "tabeez" (amulet) he sold to them.

Police said that those who attacked Saifi included Hindu as well as Muslim men and the incident was a result of personal issues between them and not communal.

Meanwhile, three people have been arrested by the police for assaulting Saifi. They have been identified as Kalloo Gurjar, Parvesh Gurjar and Adil.