Twitter Interim Grievance Officer For India Quits Amid Tussle With Centre Over New IT Rules: Report

Recently, the Twitter India had appointed Chatur as interim resident grievance officer however the platform now displays the company’s name in the place of grievance officer for India with a US address and an email ID.

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New Delhi: Amid the ongoing row with the Government of India over the new IT rules, Twitter’s interim resident grievance officer for India has reportedly quit from the post. The social media company’s website no longer displays his name, leaving the micro-blogging site without a grievance official. 

News agency PTI reported that Dharmendra Chatur, who was recently appointed as interim resident grievance officer for India by Twitter, has stepped down from the post. 

Recently, the Twitter India had appointed Chatur as interim resident grievance officer however the platform now displays the company’s name in the place of grievance officer for India with a US address and an email ID.

An official confirmation remains awaited as Twitter declined to comment on the development.

The development comes at a time when the micro-blogging platform has been engaged in a tussle with the Indian government over the new social media rules.  

As per the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, which came into effect from May 25, digital media platforms were directed to appoint a resident grievance officer for India to address and resolve complaints from Indian subscribers.

The rules state that the official should be based out of India, and be part of a larger grievance redressal mechanism, active monitoring of content on the platform, responsiveness to grievances, expedited processes to take down certain content including revenge porn, monthly compliance reports for Indian users, self-regulation mechanisms and also an oversight mechanism created by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. 

The guidelines suggest that the grievance officer must recognise the complaint within 24 hours of its receipt and resolve it within 15 days of its receipt. Moreover, the appointed officer will be responsible for receiving and acknolwdging any order, notice, or instruction issued by the authorities.