A new censorship mechanism allows even district-level officers to demand social media firms pull down posts. Experts say this allows the government to circumvent Supreme Court rulings.
By Yashraj Sharma
New Delhi, India — On February 15, thousands of men, women and children scrambled to board trains at New Delhi railway station, bound for the pilgrimage city of Prayagraj, which was playing host to the Kumbh Mela festival, one of Hinduism’s holiest gatherings.
A deadly stampede followed, and 18 people died.
Yet, in the aftermath, India’s Ministry of Railways did not only focus on rescue efforts, investigations into crowd management and compensation for families of victims. It had another concern, too: fighting social media posts that criticised the government over the incident.
