The Indian Railways ministry instructed social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to remove 285 tweets that included videos of the New Delhi Railway Station stampede casualties from February 15. Since the ministry was given direct takedown authority in December 2024, this is among the first notable content enforcement operations.
The ministry issued the notice on February 17 under “ethical norms” and X’s content policy, asking the company to act within 36 hours. The content might lead to “unwarranted law and order situations,” according to sources close to the issue.
Ethical and Policy Concerns
“This is not only against ethical standards but also against x.com’s content policy itself, as sharing such videos can lead to an unwarranted law and order situation,” the notice said. It also added that the videos “may impact the functioning of Indian Railways,” considering the large number of passengers traveling at present.
The notice, accessed by Hindustan Times, instructed X to delete content from several accounts, including influential news networks’ accounts. The ministry mentioned worry over “sensitive or unsettling media showing lifeless bodies.”
Previous Takedown Measures
This is not the first time that the ministry has used its just-acquired authority. In January, it issued a takedown notice to Instagram and YouTube regarding content that it classified as “misleading and sensitive/provocative information” that had the potential to cause disturbances. That notice concerned one YouTube video, one Instagram post, and two Instagram reels. It was not certain if this notice came in response to a particular incident.
A Meta spokesperson replied, “We enforced on the content upon receiving a legitimate legal order” about the January takedown request.
X’s Content Policy and Compliance
According to X’s policy, “graphic media” is allowed if it is labeled appropriately and not given priority display. The platform seeks to balance the “dignity and privacy” of death with keeping a “rich public record, particularly for notable historical or newsworthy occurrences.”
The move is based on fresh powers provided on December 24, giving the Executive Director of Information and Publicity in the Railway Board the power to serve takedown notices to social media platforms under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. The requests had previously been routed through the IT Ministry’s Section 69A blocking committee.
Legal Framework for Takedown Notices
In its Feb. 17 notification, the Railways Ministry invoked Section 79(3)(b), which provides for takedown notices for content that contains “unlawful advertisements, endorsements, promotional content, etc.” The section also withdraws the safe harbor immunity (which protects the platforms from liability for third-party content) from social media companies if they don’t follow government orders.
Further, the notice quoted Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. According to this rule, platforms are required to delete illegal content within 36 hours of receiving “actual knowledge” in the form of a court order or a notice from an “authorized agency.” Rule 7 provides that non-compliance may lead to the intermediary losing its safe harbor protection.
Challenges and Completeness of Notices
Sources close to the matter described how a proper Section 79(3)(b) notice would indicate on which legal basis the content has been found illegal. “Unless the illegality in the underlying law is invoked, the takedown notice would be incomplete,” one of those close to the process said.
Impact and Future Implications
This enforcement action marks a new era of overt government intervention in social media regulation, especially in sensitive situations of public safety and law enforcement. As the Railways ministry goes on exercising its takedown powers, digital platforms can expect heightened scrutiny and pressure to quickly adapt to regulatory demands.
The action also provokes questions regarding the balance between free speech, ethical content moderation, and government regulation in online environments. Although sites such as X and Meta have policies regarding graphic content, government intervention introduces a further layer of content control that may create precedents for future takedown requests in India.