These WhatsApp groups, the officials said, were being used to coordinate protests which had resulted in violence at certain places and some of them had as many as 300 members. WhatsApp did not respond to ET’s mail seeking comments on the banning of the groups.
The orders for disbanding of the group were issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology after it received inputs from the Ministry of Home Affairs, an official said.
The government will keep a close eye on the trends in social media over the coming week, another official said, adding that any content which will incite violence will be taken down.
The orders were issued under Section 69 A of the Information Technology Act. Section 69 (A) of the IT Act gives the central government emergency powers to order takedown of any content or groups on social media if it is “satisfied that it is necessary or expedient to do in the interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above or for investigation of any offence”.
Social media intermediaries must mandatorily comply with orders passed under Section 69 of the IT Act. The government’s Agnipath scheme, which intends to recruit for the armed forces for a period of four years, has seen violent protests from several states of the country.
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