Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's Twitter account was “temporarily locked”, the party said on Saturday night, nearly an hour after it claimed the senior leader's account was “temporarily suspended”.
“Shri @RahulGandhi’s Twitter account has been temporarily suspended and due process is being followed for its restoration,” the party tweeted in the evening from its official handle. It added that the senior leader would stay connected with people through his other social media platforms and continue to raise his voice for the people and to fight for their cause.
Responding to queries about the Congress' claim, Twitter said it can confirm that the account has not been suspended and "continues to be on the service".
The party later put out another tweet, saying Gandhi's account has been temporarily locked.
The Wayanad MP had courted controversy after he tweeted a picture of the parents of the Delhi rape victim, with the BJP accusing him of revealing the identity of the girl. A nine-year-old dalit girl was allegedly killed after being raped inside a crematorium in the national capital last week.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had asked the Delhi Police and Twitter on Wednesday to take action over Gandhi' tweet, saying it violated the Juvenile Justice Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Following this, Twitter removed the image.
Gandhi met the victim’s family on Wednesday morning. He later tweeted a photo of her parents with the caption: "Her parents' tears are saying only one thing - their daughter, the daughter of this country, deserves justice. And I am with them on this path of justice."