Govt tells social media firms to take down posts justifying Udaipur murder

Social media platforms need to remove content which encourages, glorifies or justifies brutal murder in Udaipur, the ministry of electronics and IT said in a notice made public on Friday.

Kanhaiya Lal, a resident of Udaipur in Rajasthan, was killed on Tuesday by two cleaver-wielding men, Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, who posted a grisly video of the crime online claiming responsibility for the "beheading".

"Through this notice, you are directed to forthwith ensure that as part of your obligation of due diligence, safety and trust, you proactively and immediately remove any and all content, either in the form of a text message, audio, video, photo or any other form, that seem to encourage/glorify/justify this murder and killing with a view to prevent any incitement and disruption of public order and to restore public peace and harmony," the notice dated June 29 said.

The video of the brutal murder was posted online and there have been several reported instances of social media handles and accounts glorifying and justifying the murder.