The Railways Ministry has directed X (formerly Twitter) to remove 285 social media links containing videos of casualties from the February 15 New Delhi Railway Station stampede. The order, citing ethical concerns and potential law and order issues, marks one of the ministry’s first major content enforcement actions since it gained direct takedown powers in December.
According to sources, the ministry sent the notice on February 17, instructing X to act within 36 hours. The notice, seen by Hindustan Times, stated that sharing such videos not only violates ethical norms but also contravenes X’s own content policies, as the circulation of graphic content may incite panic and disrupt railway operations during a period of high passenger traffic.
“This is not only against the ethical norms but also against the content policy of X.com itself as sharing of such video may create an unwarranted law and order situation,” the notice read. It further added that such content could negatively impact Indian Railways’ functioning amid the huge rush of trains.
Direct Takedown Powers in Action
This is at least the second known instance of the Railways Ministry exercising its newly granted takedown authority. In January, the ministry issued a similar notice to YouTube and Instagram, targeting content flagged as “misleading and sensitive/provocative” that could disturb public order. That notice included one YouTube video, one Instagram post, and two Instagram reels.
A spokesperson for Meta confirmed that the company complied with the earlier request upon receiving a valid legal order. However, neither the Railways Ministry, Google, nor X responded to inquiries about the February 17 notice.
Legal Basis for the Takedown
The latest action follows the ministry’s empowerment on December 24, when its executive director of information and publicity (Railway Board) was authorized to issue takedown requests directly to social media platforms under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. Previously, such requests were routed through the IT Ministry’s Section 69A blocking committee.
Under Section 79(3)(b), social media intermediaries risk losing their “safe harbor” protection—exempting them from liability for third-party content—if they fail to comply with government takedown requests. Additionally, the notice cited Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which mandates that platforms remove illegal content within 36 hours of receiving official notification.
Legal experts, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, noted that a valid Section 79(3)(b) notice must specify the law under which the content is deemed illegal. “If the illegality under the substantive law is not cited, the takedown notice is incomplete,” one of them stated.
Addressing Multiple Concerns
Government officials emphasized that the new takedown powers are intended to address various concerns beyond the recent stampede. This includes the proliferation of videos showing dangerous stunts on railway tracks, vandalism of railway property, and misinformation about Indian Railways.
“There are many videos where young people, to gain views, perform dangerous stunts on railway tracks—such as lying on the tracks as a train passes over them. People also damage tracks and upload such videos. These can inspire others to imitate them, making takedowns necessary,” an official explained. Another concern is the spread of misleading videos falsely attributed to Indian Railways.
The ministry’s takedown actions are not unprecedented. In January 2022, violent protests erupted in Bihar over alleged irregularities in the Railway Recruitment Board’s exams. Trains were set on fire, and railway property was vandalized. At the Railways Ministry’s request, the IT Ministry issued Section 69A blocking orders against certain social media posts to maintain public order.
With its new enforcement powers, the Railways Ministry is now taking a more proactive approach in curbing harmful online content related to railway operations. The response from X and the extent of compliance with the latest takedown notice remain to be seen.
Sources By Agencies