X posts on Bihar Muslim youth lynching, including photo of smiling cop near body, ordered removed

An X post by Meer Faisal, a journalist with The Observer Post, is among several posts relating to the alleged mob lynching of a Muslim youth that the Cyber Police Station in Bihar’s Siwan district has urged social media platform X to remove immediately, contending that the content is “objectionable, misleading and fact-less” and carries the potential to disturb law and order.

The emergency notice, issued on June 1 under Section 79(3)(B) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), alleged that posts concerning the purported lynching had gone viral across the platform and were capable of provoking public unrest, besides posing a risk to life and property.

According to the notice, investigators conducted a preliminary examination of the content and concluded that the posts remained active on X and were “prima facie unlawful”. The police specifically identified three posts, including one published by Faisal, who had reported on the death of 25-year-old Shahzad Ali in Siwan district.

Among the posts cited was Faisal’s publication of a photograph from the scene accompanied by a caption asserting that a police officer could be seen smiling while Shahzad’s body lay on the ground. The authorities maintained that such content, alongside posts shared by another user identified as @abufawaz24, carried implications that could adversely affect public order.

The controversy stems from the death of Shahzad Ali, whose wife, Mobina Khatoon, alleged that a group of men arrived at their residence, summoned him outside and forcibly took him away, following which the family was informed hours later that he had died.

Directing X to block, remove or disable access to the identified posts and accounts without delay, the notice warned that non-compliance could result in the loss of intermediary protection available under Section 79 of the IT Act and invite legal action under Section 84B of the Act and other applicable provisions.

It further noted that failure to comply with directions issued under Section 94 of the BNSS constitutes a punishable offence under Section 175 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.