Twitter Restores Features of Indian Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's Account After Seven Days of 'Locking'

Gandhi lost his access to tweeting and re-tweeting with his official handle last week after Twitter restricted some features of his account as punishment for revealing the faces of the parents of a minor girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in Delhi.

After seven days of locking, Twitter on Saturday restored the restricted features of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's account, so now the politician is able again to react to tweets, interact on direct messages as well as post fresh tweets from his handle. 

In a bid to get his account unlocked, Gandhi submitted to Twitter a copy of a formal consent letter from the people depicted in the image whose publication prompted his account to be restricted, asking the platform to make his account functional again. 

"We have followed the necessary due diligence process to review the appeal in order to protect the safety and privacy of the affected individuals. We have updated our enforcement action based on the consent provided by the people depicted in the image", India Today quoted a Twitter spokesperson as saying. 

On 1 August 2021, a nine-year-old girl from the Dalit community was allegedly raped, murdered, and then hurriedly cremated by the perpetrators, who are now in police custody in Delhi. 

Following the incident, Gandhi visited the parents of the victim, demanding justice for "India's daughter". Pictures of the meeting were shared by the Congress leader on Twitter, showing him hugging and consoling the wailing parents of the deceased girl. 

The same image was shared by the accounts of about 5,000 other Congress leaders and workers, as per India Today, all of whom were temporarily restricted as well. The official handle of the Congress Party was also locked.

India's National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issued a notice to Twitter India seeking action against the senior Congress leader for revealing the identity of an alleged rape victim's family, which is unlawful under the country's laws, as well prohibited by Twitter. 

As per the Juvenile Justice Act, it is illegal to reveal the identity of a rape victim and/or her parents. Is Member of Parliament @RahulGandhi even aware of the laws of our country? Why is he tweeting the pictures of the rape victim's parents & revealing their identities? pic.twitter.com/1bMKOzMVcN

— Priti Gandhi - प्रीति गांधी (@MrsGandhi) August 4, 2021

​Congress members earlier this week staged a protest in Delhi against Twitter for suspending their party leader's account. Protesters burnt posters which bore slogans lambasting the micro-blogging platform.  

The protesters accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of pressuring Twitter to restrict opposing voices against the backdrop of the ongoing monsoon session of the parliament. 

Outside Twitter India office in Delhi.

मोदी सरकार के दवाब में @TwitterIndia द्वारा विपक्ष की सबसे सशक्त आवाज़ श्री @RahulGandhi जी का अकाउंट Lock किये जाने के खिलाफ युवा कांग्रेस का प्रदर्शन... pic.twitter.com/O5LUYI19e3

— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) August 9, 2021