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The Punjab Police’s State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (S4C) has issued a legal notice to X Corp, directing it to remove 49 URLs carrying graphic videos related to the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa on October 13.

The notice, issued under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021, cites concerns that the circulation of the footage could trigger public outrage, incite violence and disturb law and order in Punjab.

A medical store owner allegedly shot dead Jhota on October 13 after the activist questioned him over selling addictive drugs. Ashwani Kumar, the store owner, was later from Rajasthan’s Salasar.

While the police FIR names Kumar as the accused, the notice reportedly describes the assailant as unidentified.

The S4C said the widespread circulation of the clips, often accompanied by provocative commentary and inflammatory captions, had the potential to “create fear and panic among the public, intensify public outrage, disturb public order, and adversely affect the maintenance of peace and tranquillity” in Mansa, adjoining areas of the Malwa region and other parts of Punjab.

The notice further states that the videos were contributing to heightened public anger, with some users allegedly making provocative statements and attempting to incite violence and retaliatory acts.

Citing provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the cybercrime centre described the continued hosting of the identified URLs as an “imminent and extreme emergency” warranting immediate intervention.

X Corp has been directed to disable access to the identified content and preserve relevant records and evidence for investigation. The notice warns that failure to comply could result in legal consequences, including the loss of safe-harbour protection available to intermediaries under Section 79(1) of the IT Act.

Under the provisions cited in the notice, X is required to act within three hours of receiving it.