Facebook Bans BJP MLA Raja Singh as Pressure Grows over Hate Speech Violations

Encountering serious criticism for its suspected bias over handling of hate speech, Facebook on Thursday banned Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh from its platform and Instagram for violating its policy around content promoting violence and hate.

New Delhi: Facebook has banned T Raja Singh, a BJP MLA from Telangana at the core of allegations that the social media giant did not apply hate speech regulations on MLA of the ruling BJP.

Encountering serious criticism for its suspected bias over handling of hate speech, Facebook on Thursday banned Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh from its platform and Instagram for violating its policy around content promoting violence and hate.

“We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform,” a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Face book statement said that the process for evaluating potential violators “is extensive and it is what led us to Facebook’s decision to remove his account”.

Facebook’s action against the BJP MLA from Telangana comes as it faces growing political pressure in India over its handling of extremist content.

On Wednesday, Facebook officials appeared before a parliamentary panel led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and faced questions on alleged political bias from both sides of the divide.

In the parliamentary panel meeting of over two hours yesterday, Facebook officials were asked to list the cases in which they acted against hate speech. Mr. Singh’s alleged posts were also cited by members of the opposition.

Mr. Singh denied putting up inflammatory posts, challenging anyone to prove he could be blamed for social strife.

Referring to hate-speech, calling for violence against minorities allegedly by Singh, the report cited “current and former” Facebook employees as saying that Das’s intervention is part of a “broader pattern of favoritism” by the company towards the ruling BJP party.