Sentinel Digital Desk
Wikipedia is facing scrutiny in India over "objectionable" content about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, son of Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Maharashtra Police Cyber Cell has registered a case regarding the issue.
The Maharashtra Cyber Cell has filed a case against four editors for not removing “objectionable” content about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, officials said on February 21.
This followed a notice sent to the Wikimedia Foundation in California, requesting the content’s removal from Wikipedia. However, the non-profit organization, which hosts the open-source encyclopedia, did not respond.
The Maharashtra Cyber Cell sent 15 emails to Wikipedia without receiving a response, prompting police action, according to reports. A case was then filed against four Wikipedia editors under Sections 69 and 79 of the IT Act.
In its notice to Wikimedia, the Maharashtra Cyber Cell stated that the Wikipedia content about Sambhaji was "inaccurate" and could cause a law-and-order issue in the state, where the Maratha leader is highly respected.
The police took action after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered the cyber police to ask Wikipedia to remove “objectionable” content about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
Addressing concerns from organizations objecting to the alleged misinformation, Fadnavis stated that the “distortion of history on open-source platforms like Wikipedia would not be tolerated.”