Twitter on Thursday removed two tweets by actor Kangana Ranaut for violating the company’s rules, reported NDTV.
“We have taken action on tweets that were in violation of the Twitter rules in line with our range of enforcement options,” the microblogging website said in a statement.
Both the deleted tweets were related to the farmers’ protest, according the news channel. One of Ranaut’s tweet was a response to cricketer Rohit Sharma’s post about solidarity amid global criticism of the Indian government’s handling of the farmers’ protest.
The action comes two days after Ranaut, a vocal supporter of the Narendra Modi government, had responded to a tweet by Rihanna by calling the protesting farmers “terrorists” and the pop singer a fool. Rihanna had shared a CNN article about the internet shutdowns in Delhi to suppress the farmer protests.
Twitter policy states that if a tweet is found to be violating rules and yet to be deleted by the account owner, it will be hidden behind a notice. The microblogging site censors tweets promoting violence, hate speech, extremism and abuse.
After Rihanna’s tweet, the crackdown on the farmers’ peaceful agitation has sparked international outrage. Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg has also expressed support for the farmers.
Meanwhile, the Centre tried to counter the global attention to the farmers’ protest on social media by coining its own hashtags. Several celebrities and ministers tweeted on Wednesday using the hashtags #IndiaAgainstPropaganda and #IndiaTogether.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!