pia

[pia @piamann_]

Always emphasising ‘be glad we live in a democracy’, ‘at least we are better then our neighbours’, ‘propaganda is their doctrine’. Is the bar that low? Keep peddling propaganda & keep watching the already tattered reputation go beneath the gutter with the masses. // gen.

[pia @piamann_]

as the 4th pillar its the media’s job to question truth to power. who holds power? who runs the machinery? keep shoving this down the rug, accept gag orders, keep maligning, continue one-sided reportage. then wonder why mainstream media has turned into a laughing stock.

[pia @piamann_]

nasty. just nasty. then wonder why nobody takes you seriously #godimedia who ordered pellet guns to be used on students!? who will answer for the absolute disgusting behaviour of male cops towards female protestors? the videos are public. yet nobody is asking these questions.

[pia @piamann_]

andhbhaks mad at kids of bjpee leaders who go against their parents’ ideology. it’s almost as if being a part of a cult and an echo chamber makes one oblivious to the fact that children are not clones of their parents & every individual is entitled to their own opinions.

[pia @piamann_]

HIGH TIME!

[SANJAY HEGDE @sanjayuvacha]

Sir in Nizamuddin, I have seen the barricading and the profiling at the Subz Burz roundabout. My juniors have been fighting with the officers of the Nizamuddin Police Station for the release of people from unlawful detention. Physical violence and intimidation has also been used against lawyers. Your denials lack credibility.

[Ratna Singh @whattalawyer]

Delhi Police, stop harassing people.

You are detaining young people on their way to Jantar Mantar late at night without giving them meaningful access to legal assistance. You are also allegedly targeting those who merely distributed food at the protest site and threatening them with prolonged jail terms. You misbehaving with lawyers. Is this what your duty demands?

This appears to be an abuse of the powers entrusted to you.

You are also asking detainees to fill out forms containing their personal details, raising serious concerns that this information could later be used against them. This is unacceptable.

Since Delhi Police has been actively using X to counter what it calls misinformation, the public deserves a clear clarification on these actions.

@DelhiPolice @CPDelhi

[pia @piamann_]

.

[Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) @internetfreedom]

Statement : The blocking of BitChat's code on GitHub is unconstitutional and authoritarian.

New Delhi, 24 July 2026

The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) condemns the order issued by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs, directing GitHub to remove the code repositories of BitChat.

The order, Notice No. 11072601011432, was issued at 11:16 pm on 23 July 2026 under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 read with Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021. The order directs GitHub to disable access to three repositories, including the Android application and its release files, within three hours. It threatens the platform with loss of safe harbour and criminal prosecution. No copy was published by the Government of India. The public learnt of it from a post by @jack, whose team develops BitChat. Censorship in India now comes to light through disclosure by the censored.

Since 17 July 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs has suspended mobile internet around Jantar Mantar as per public reports about five times, most recently within a 1.5 kilometre radius from 4 pm until midnight on 23 July. That radius takes in Janpath and parts of Connaught Place. Reports describe signal jammers at the protest site and people walking two kilometres before their phones work. Inside that zone a student separated from her group during a detention drive cannot send a message to say where she is. Thousands of students and young people have camped at Jantar Mantar since June, seeking accountability for examination irregularities. Permission for their march to Parliament was refused. Metro stations were shut and also internet connectivity has been blocked.

BitChat is an open source application built for exactly this situation. It passes messages from phone to phone over Bluetooth, without mobile networks or a central server. It is striking that the order does not identify a single unlawful message. It objects to what BitChat is. In its own words, the application is dangerous because it enables communication "even during network restrictions" and can "circumvent lawful restrictions" during "internet shutdowns". Hence, the government's objection is that citizens can speak to one another while it has switched the internet off.

The order is illegal on at least four grounds.

1. Section 79(3)(b) is not a blocking power. In Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015) 5 SCC 1, the Supreme Court read down the provision. Intermediaries may be required to act only on a court order, or a government notification confined to the grounds under Article 19(2) of the Constitution. Blocking is governed exclusively by Section 69A and the Blocking Rules, 2009, which require a hearing and reasons recorded in writing, subject to review. Directions issued under Section 79(3)(b), Rule 3(1)(d) and the Sahyog Portal evade these safeguards, and constitutional challenges to this parallel regime are pending before High Courts.

2. The reasons in the order are circular. The order asserts that the repositories contain "information which is prohibited under any law" without naming any such information, and rests on what the application is "capable of" enabling. Anticipated misuse of a communications tool is not a lawful basis to prohibit the tool. By this logic a telephone exchange could be sealed.

3. The order cites Section 43 of the IT Act, a civil compensation provision, alongside conspiracy and abetment offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, against a platform that hosts code.

4. A three hour deadline issued close to midnight forecloses legal assessment and recourse, and fails the proportionality standard in Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India (2020) 3 SCC 637.

The order also fails on its own terms as deleting a repository does not delete the application from any phone that carries it, and the mesh keeps functioning without servers. What the takedown actually prevents is scrutiny of the underlying code.

IFF demands that the Government of India:

1. Withdraw Notice No. 11072601011432 dated 23 July 2026 issued to GitHub.
2. Publish every takedown direction issued under Section 79(3)(b), Rule 3(1)(d) and the Sahyog Portal, with the reasons recorded for each.
3. Restore full connectivity around Jantar Mantar, publish all suspension orders, and disclose the legal authority for the deployment of jammers.

We stand with the developers and the young protesters whose speech this order seeks to silence.

[pia @piamann_]

just smile and nod.

[TIMES NOW @TimesNow]

Inside Track on Key Cabinet Meet:

- PM asks Ministers to boost Instagram presence.

- PM to Ministers: Get active on Instagram, don’t limit yourself to X

- Prime Minister tells Ministers: Share reels on government schemes, reach out to youth through Instagram

[pia @piamann_]

what a fall from grace!

[Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) @JNU_official_50]

Advisory
All stakeholders of JNU’s epistemic community are advised to act responsibly and prioritize their personal safety. In accordance with the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India’s directions on public demonstrations, you are requested to refrain from participating in or visiting gatherings at or around Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

Please exercise responsibility on social media. Violations may invite legal consequences under applicable laws as well as disciplinary action under the University’s code of conduct.

You are also encouraged to uphold the values of academic responsibility and responsible citizenship.

[pia @piamann_]

have some shame.

[University of Delhi @UnivofDelhi]

Dear students and faculty, your safety matters to us. Please note that any unlawful assemblies or demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, which are strictly regulated as per the directives of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, may invite legal action. Such activities can also pose serious risks to students’ personal safety and significantly impact their academic progress and professional opportunities. Accordingly, all students are urged to stay away from Jantar Mantar and to prioritise their safety and compliance with the law. Furthermore, you are advised to exercise caution as a significant amount of fake and misleading content is being created and circulated to fuel the situation.

[Amnesty International @amnesty]

Delhi's Lieutenant Governor has invoked powers under India's National Security Act that allow police to hold people in administrative detention without procedural guarantees, including the right to be informed of the grounds of detention and the possibility to challenge is before judicial authorities.

This move is deeply concerning. We urge the Delhi Police not to invoke the NSA against peaceful protesters.

Read more: https://t.co/GJXGcIvMMA

[pia @piamann_]

colour me shocked…

[jack @jack]

the government of india does not like technologies like bitchat and wants it taken down

[pia @piamann_]

and? read the room. this is not a one-off instance of a paper leak. there are larger systemic issues with the NTA, malfunctioning portals, security of minors’ data, lack of transparency with contracts. yet, everything is shoved under the rug & even a symbolic demand is not met.

[Narendra Modi @narendramodi]

Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth!

We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks. Have directed the concerned authorities and officials to take all necessary steps in this regard. This continues our series of steps for safeguarding the interests of students.

Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.

देश के युवाओं का हित और उनका भविष्य हमारी सर्वोच्च प्राथमिकता है।

पेपर लीक के सभी मामलों में दोषियों को जल्द से जल्द कठोर दंड देने के लिए, केस के त्वरित निस्तारण के लिए फास्ट ट्रैक कोर्ट्स का गठन किया जाएगा। इस संबंध में निर्देश दे दिए गए हैं कि संबंधित विभाग आवश्यक कार्रवाई सुनिश्चित करें।

विद्यार्थियों के हितों को सुरक्षित करने के लिए, सरकार द्वारा लिए जा रहे निर्णयों की श्रृंखला में ये एक महत्वपूर्ण कदम है।

युवाओं के भविष्य के साथ खिलवाड़ करने वाले किसी भी व्यक्ति को बख्शा नहीं जाएगा।

[pia @piamann_]

The gross mismanagement of the entire apparatus under YOUR leadership has destroyed the hopes and aspirations of lakhs of students. It has cost the very lives of those who wanted to SAVE others’ lives. Now breaking your silence with this whataboutery. Revolting.

[Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp]

LoP Shri @RahulGandhi and @INCIndia continue to shamelessly exploit students as political tools to manufacture disruption during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Shri @RahulGandhi and @INCIndia chose to stage a dharna outside the Hon'ble Prime Minister's residence , causing inconvenience to the public and disregarding established security protocols.

Even after Government conveyed its readiness for a comprehensive discussion, the Congress chose political spectacle over democratic debate. Their objective was never solutions for students, it was disruption for political headlines

For Rahul Gandhi, this is not about students. This is about manufacturing confrontation after every genuine avenue for discussion has been opened.

Our Government remains 100% committed to discussing NEET and addressing every genuine concern of our youth on the floor of the House. The students of India deserve far better than being treated as props in a political campaign. They deserve certainty over chaos, solutions over slogans and responsibility over disruption.

We owe our students more than outrage. We owe them answers, reforms and accountability. That is exactly what our government remains committed to delivering.

[Pattaas 🍉 @jokeperaalta]

Women have no obligation to contribute to a society that denies them basic rights. Let the society perish.

[Why U @vayunandini]

India's fertility rate is falling and santra Twitter has immediately concluded the problem is hindu women as other religion women are reproducing rapidly. Classic.

Nobody is asking the obvious question. Why would a woman want to have children with a man who demands a teenage virgin with dowry, wants male child only, treats a stay at home wife as a leech, a working wife as disloyal, an educated wife as disrespectful and a less educated wife as embarrassing. There is no version of a woman that passes the audit.

Women are not refusing motherhood. They are refusing the full package that comes with it. The financial extraction. The maid duties. The in-law servitude. The man who has infinite demands and zero self awareness.

Fix the men first. Make yourself someone a woman would actually want to build a family with. Make yourself someone whose children would have a safe, loving home to grow up in. The fertility rate will sort itself out.

The problem was never Hindu women. It was always the conditions being offered to them.

[Sandhya Ramesh @sandygrains]

A male doctor raped a patient who was a young girl, so the government is yelling at a bunch of women doctors

[The Hind Rajab Foundation @HindRFoundation]

The @hindrajabfoundation filed an urgent complaint in 🇮🇳 #India, demanding the immediate arrest of Eitan Gilboa, Israeli national and reservist in the 271st Combat Engineering Battalion. Gilboa is currently vacationing in Old Manali and Gondla Village, Himachal Pradesh.
Full details → https://t.co/AyXjznPsyE

[Rishabh Gulati @Rishabh_Gulati_]

What a quality metric, from a quality long format broadsheet. Kudos to the @SundayGuardian !