Delhi Police on Thursday slammed social media giant Twitter for its statement about "concerns with regards to the use of intimidation tactics by the police" and said such remarks were "devised to seek dubious sympathy".
"Twitter's Inc's latest statements are devised to seek dubious sympathy when they themselves not only refuse to comply with the law of the land but also claim to be possession of material evidence but refuse to share it with legal authority duly recognized," Delhi Police said in a press release.
"We have come across press reports that quote Twitter Inc. statements pertaining to the ongoing inquiry by Delhi Police. Prima facie, these statements are not only mendacious but designed to impede a lawful inquiry by a private enterprise. Twitter Inc. has taken upon itself, in the garb of terms of service, to adjudicate the truth or otherwise of documents in public space," the release added.
Delhi Police had visited Twitter's Delhi and Gurgaon offices earlier this week to serve a notice for its officials to join in the probe regarding the "toolkit" row. Twitter earlier in the day issued a statement stating that it alongside many in civil society in India and around the world "have concerns with regards to the use of intimidation tactics by the police in response to enforcement of our global terms of service". It also raised concerns about core elements of the new IT rules.
The Delhi Police said that a preliminary inquiry into toolkit row was initiated at the instance of a complaint filed by the representative of the Indian National Congress.
"Hence, the efforts by Twitter Inc. that portray that this as an FIR filed at the behest of the Government of India is wholly and completely incorrect," the police said.
"Twitter Inc. is purporting to be both an investigating authority as well as an adjudicating judicial authority. It has no legal sanction to be either. The only legal entity, so empowered by the duly laid down law, to investigate is the Police and to adjudicate is the courts," it added.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had also written to Twitter objecting to it tagging some of the posts on an alleged Congress "toolkit" against the central government, as "manipulated media". It had asked Twitter to remove the tag as the matter is pending investigation before a law enforcement agency.
( With inputs from ANI )
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