The government of India sent a new notice to Twitter asking it to block 1,178 more accounts believed to be linked to the Khalistan supporters and those backed by Pakistan as well.

The new notice was sent to Twitter and the company was yet to comply with the directions. The IT Ministry had questioned Twitter to block 257 accounts using the #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide hashtag amid the farmers' protest, under the Section 69A of the IT Act.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) also warned the social media platform of penal action over non-compliance of its order to remove accounts and tweets which alleged "farmer genocide" in the country.

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Content with the hashtag "#ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide" was posted on Twitter, which, according to the government, was designed to "inflame passions" and "hatred".

Top Twitter management in India faces penal action that may include seven-year imprisonment and fine if the company does not comply with the Indian governments order to remove accounts and tweets as per the notice.

The government said that the company, as an intermediary under Section 2(1)(w) of the act, is once again directed to block access by the public to the said Twitter handles and also the said hashtag with immediate effect.

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The first notice said, “It needs to be mentioned that Section 69A(3) provides for specific penal consequences in case of non-compliance of the directions issued under Section 69A of the Act.”

(With inputs from IANS)