Rush Hour: Police crack down on posts about EC, US says report on Iran talks ‘speculative’ and more

The Kerala Police ordered social media platforms to remove posts about a letter issued by the Election Commission bearing the seal of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s state unit. A row had erupted in the state on Monday, with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) alleging that “seals are being casually swapped”.

The Election Commission attributed this to a clerical error.

The police are reporting to the Election Commission as the Model Code of Conduct is in force in the state ahead of the Assembly polls. In their order, the police alleged that the posts ordered to be taken down “blatantly insult” the poll panel and “propagate content that undermines communal harmony”.

Social media platform X informed several users, including journalists and leaders of Opposition parties, that it had been directed by the police to remove posts based on claims that the content violated Indian law. An Instagram post by Scroll about the controversy was also blocked. Read on.

Only persons belonging to the Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh faiths can claim the Scheduled Caste status, said the Supreme Court. It added that a Dalit person converting to any religion other than the three loses his or her Scheduled Caste status, regardless of the status at birth.

The order came on an appeal filed by...

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