Mumbai: Punjabi singer Jazzy B, who has been a prominent voice in the ongoing farmers’ protest, says he will continue to express his solidarity with people fighting for their rights after Twitter “withheld” his account in response to a legal demand in India.
According to an information on Lumen database, Twitter received legal request from the Indian government on June 6 for four accounts, including that of Jazzy B and hip-hop artist L-Fresh the Lion.
The 46-year-old singer took to Instagram on Monday evening and reposted a screenshot of his Twitter account, shared by a page, which claimed that his profile was blocked for “raising his voice for the rights of farmers and calling for justice for 1984 victims.”
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which had broken out after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had claimed 2,733 lives in Delhi alone.
“I will always stand for the rights of my people. #KisanMajdoorIktaZindabad #NeverForget 1984, #RaiseYourVoice,” Jazzy B wrote on Instagram.
Users checking Jazzy B’s Twitter account are shown a message saying “account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand”.
The singer has been at the forefront of the farmers’ protest, routinely tweeting in support of the agitation.
Earlier this year, he had also performed at the ‘Artists for Farmers’ concert at the Tikri border, where farmers are protesting to repeal the new farm laws.
His protest song “Teer Punjab Ton” has over 20 lakh views on YouTube.
When contacted, a Twitter spokesperson said when it receives a valid legal request, it reviews it under both the Twitter Rules and local law.
“If the content violates Twitter Rules, the content will be removed from the service. If it is determined to be illegal in a particular jurisdiction, but not in violation of the Twitter Rules, we may withhold access to the content in India only,” the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson noted that in all cases, it notifies the account holder directly so that they’re aware that the company has received a legal order pertaining to the account.