NEW DELHI : During the virtual Group of Seven summit a couple of weeks ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a joint statement to promote “freedom of expression, both online and offline, as a freedom that safeguards democracy and helps people live free from fear and oppression.”
“Democracy and freedom were a part of India’s civilizational ethos,” Modi said during the conference.
A couple of days later, I faced a criminal investigation over a tweet.
On June 15, the police in the state of Uttar Pradesh accused journalists, a publication and even Twitter in India of criminal conspiracy, promoting “enmity,” insulting religious beliefs and provoking riots in an attempt to destabilize the country.
The accusation was made after a video circulated on social media of an elderly Muslim man who said he was attacked by a group of men. Several days after the attack, the man, whose initial video was posted without audio, went on Facebook to describe the assault.
He said goons forced him to chant “Jai Shri Ram” (Glory to Lord Ram) and shaved his beard. The video was shared by me and other journalists, as well as by public figures. It was also shared and reported by many news channels and publications in India, including Times Now, Times of India and NDTV.(Washington Post)
