Notices to remove content sent in the name of RSS and Delhi Police found to be fake

Amid growing concerns over internet censorship in India, legal notices sent to digital rights groups have emerged as a major hoax. These notices, sent in the name of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Delhi Police, demanded the removal of content, but investigations have revealed that all these documents were fake.

The entire controversy began on October 30 when digital rights groups, such as the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) and the Software Freedom Law Center, published several legal notices. These notices were sent in the name of the RSS, the ideological parent organization of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The notices pressured the groups to stop opposing and documenting the government's content blocking orders.

While the RSS has made no official comment on the matter, Kanchan Gupta, an advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and Ratan Sharda, an RSS member and author, immediately denied the claims on the social media platform X. They clarified that no such notices had been sent by the organization.

A turn in events occurred when digital rights groups were informed by X that the Delhi Police had submitted an "illegal content report." This report claimed that the posts and accounts of these groups defamed the RSS and should therefore be removed. However, according to a report by Scroll, the communication sent by the Delhi Police to X is also fake, similar to the notices sent in the name of the RSS. A police officer familiar with the case, speaking to Scroll on condition of anonymity, stated that this police report is also fabricated. Questions were sent to the official spokesperson of the Delhi Police, but no response was received by the time of publication.

An investigation by Scroll revealed that the entire conspiracy originated from an email address that was likely created on October 29. Legal notices were sent to digital rights organizations just 6 hours after this email address was created.

The Internet Freedom Foundation issued a statement on X on October 30, stating that they had received an email the previous night from a lawyer named Gaurav Tiwari. In the email, Tiwari stated that he was sending the legal notice under the "instructions and authority of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh." The notice accused the IFF of opposing government orders to remove "anti-national, provocative, and misleading content." The organization was told to cease this activity and confirm compliance within one week.

Similar notices were sent via email to the Software Freedom Law Center and an X account named 'Geo Blocked in India'. The Internet Freedom Foundation had considered the notice legally flawed as it contained no concrete allegations nor any mention of a specific legal violation. The organization questioned why the RSS was acting as an exception on behalf of the government and noted that no specific law violation had been mentioned.

Scroll contacted Sunil Ambekar, head of the RSS communications department, but no response was received by the time of publication. Furthermore, an investigation into the address provided in the notice revealed that it leads to a flat in Bawana, an outlying area of Delhi.