IT ministry demands online platforms remove ‘Indian variant’ reference from content NEW DELHI: An Indian government demand that social media companies, including Facebook and Twitter, remove any content that refers to an “Indian variant” of the coronavirus disease has been branded a “pointless exercise” and an “unlawful request” by experts. “This is completely false. There is no such variant of COVID-19 scientifically cited as such by the World Health Organization (WHO),” India’s Information and Technology Ministry said in a letter to social media firms on Friday. “The WHO has not associated the term ‘Indian variant’ with the B1617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports,” it added. Officials from the IT ministry and Twitter were unavailable for comment when contacted by Arab News on Saturday, while Facebook, a popular social media platform, said it “would not be providing any comment” on the notice for now. On May 11, the WHO classified the coronavirus variant B1617, first identified in India last year, as a “variant of global concern.” A day later, the Indian government issued a statement saying that media reports using the term “Indian variant” lacked any basis, saying the WHO had classified the variant as just B1617. Social media experts, however, said the government’s latest order on Friday was an “impingement” on the freedom of expression. “There is no law which allows the India government to ask for this kind of censorship,” Nikhil Pahwa, founder of MediaNama, a mobile and digital news portal, told Arab News. “I don’t think social media platforms should comply with an unlawful request. There are legitimate news articles that use the term ‘Indian variant,’ and this request from the Indian government impinges on the freedom of the press,” he added. Pahwa described the directive as a “pointless exercise and an attempt by India to exercise a China-like control over its social media.” “The term (Indian variant) is a colloquial reference, not fake news,” he added. Others reasoned that “identification of a pandemic with a country hurts.” “The government is concerned about its image, maybe excessively,” Sanjay Kapoor, editor-in-chief of the English news magazine Hard News, based in New Delhi, told Arab News. Kapoor said that “handling a health crisis is also about controlling the narrative, and the government may believe that the country’s identification with the virus could help its enemies.” Around the world, coronavirus variants have generically been referred to by doctors and health experts based on the country where the strain was first identified. This includes South Africa, the UK and Brazil. However, health experts say there should be a “consensus” among scientists and the media on naming variants. “If referring to the Indian variant is bad, then the South African or UK variant should be problematic, too,” Pawan Jesani, founder of the Mumbai-based Forum for Medical Ethics Society and the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, told Arab News. “They should find a neutral name. Otherwise, accept that it is an Indian bug. It originated here, its mutation took place here, that’s why its name is Indian variant,” he added. Jesani urged the government “not to bother about the name” but to focus on “managing” the outbreak. “It is more important to manage the infection and find a way out of it. That is where the attention should be.” Epidemiologist Dr. T. Jacob John of the Christian Medical College in the southern Indian city of Vellore, said that the government’s demand was a reflection of “shame culture” in which “you associate your honor with the name of the disease.” “In India, we believe that our honor is important, not our guilt,” John told Arab News. “Anything that affects your honor and brings shame to you will be disliked. South Africa, UK, Brazil did not object to it because they are a guilt culture and would be more worried about addressing the problem,” he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is facing severe criticism for its handling of the second wave of the pandemic, with thousands of lives lost due to a shortage of oxygen and hospital beds. On Saturday, India registered more than 257,000 infections and over 4,000 deaths. However, media reports from parts of the country suggest that the death toll is much higher than the official figure. Scientists attribute the severity of the second wave to the coronavirus variant B1617, popularly known as the “Indian variant.” “It is a good idea to stick to the scientific nomenclature of the variants, yet at the same time Indian authorities should also avoid using country-linked names in their statements or guidelines, like UK or South African or Brazil variants,” Dr. Anant Bhan, a researcher and public health expert, told Arab News.