Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra.
Highlights
- NCPCR summoned Twitter India's communications director to appear before it on May 18
- The official has been summoned for failing to submit report on action taken against Kunal Kamra
- Kunal Kamra had posted a doctored video of a boy who sang patriotic song for PM Modi in Berlin
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has summoned Twitter India's communications director to appear before it on May 18 for not submitting an action taken report against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra.
The matter is about the stand-up comedian posting a doctored video of a minor singing a patriotic song.
The minor, 7-year-old boy, is the one who had sung a patriotic song for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Berlin, German during latter's 3-nation Europe visit.
The NCPCR also sought immediate removal of the video.
NCPCR in a letter to Twitter's grievance officer, said a complaint was received by it regarding Kamra tweeting the "doctored" video of a minor singing a patriotic song to further his own political agendas.
"The Commission has taken cognizance of the complaint and is of the view that using minors for propagating political ideologies is a violation of the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Further, the Commission is apprehensive that using children for such promotional purposes is harmful and detrimental to their mental well-being," it said.
Therefore, the Commission said, the video should be taken off the platform immediately and appropriate action should be taken against the official account of Kamra for posting such content.
Kamra had shared the purported video of Modi's interaction in Germany with the child but he replaced the song that the boy sang -- 'Hey Janmabhoomi Bharat' -- with "Mehengayi daayan khaaye jaat hain". Take a look at the original video.
The father of the boy had also lashed out at Kamra, saying "keep the poor boy out of your filthy politics and try to work on your poor jokes."
Reacting, Kamra said the video is in the public domain posted by a news organisation.
"The joke is not on your son, while you enjoy your son sing for his motherland to the most popular son, there are songs that he should listen to from people of his country also," Kamra tweeted.
Kamra, in another tweet, said the NCPCR has sought action against him for posting a "meme".
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