Delhi panel summons Facebook officials on 'hateful content' issue

A Delhi Assembly panel on peace and harmony has decided to summon Facebook officials to respond to charges leveled against the social media platform. Panel chairman and AAP MLA Raghav Chadha said they would be given a chance to explain their stand on the issue.

New Delhi: Having discussed complaints about Facebook for its alleged "deliberate and intentional inaction to contain hateful content", a Delhi Assembly panel on peace and harmony, which met here on Tuesday, has decided to summon its officials to listen to their point of view.

"It was unanimously decided by the committee, upon the revelations and insights gathered by the witnesses, that Facebook officials must be called upon to carry out a painstaking investigation into the allegations made by the complainants which were supported by the witnesses as well as the depositions of key witnesses summoned," a statement issued after the meeting said.

The committee will "soon issue notices to top officials of Facebook" to examine them on record, it said.

Panel chairman and AAP MLA Raghav Chadha asked a range of questions over the alleged "Facebook-BJP relationship", hateful content and the role of social media in "aggravating" riots in the national capital earlier this year.

Interacting with the ETV Bharat after the meeting, Chadha said, three witnesses put their views in front of the panel and issues if Facebook is neutral or does it have any connection with the BJP, and if the social media giant was creating problems in India in holding free and fair elections, were discussed.