Just as Indian politicians were criticising Twitter and Facebook for ‘clamping down’ free speech after they banned Donald Trump, Indian airlines GoAir has sacked one of its senior pilots for calling the PM an ‘idiot’ on Twitter.
According to the Indian Express, in a now deleted tweet, the pilot had said:
PM is an idiot. You can call me same in return. It’s ok. I don’t matter. Bcoz I am not PM. But PM is an idiot. Period.
Before locking his account, the pilot had also tweeted an apology on Twitter.
I apologise for my tweets about PM, other offensive tweets which may have hurt sentiments of anyone associated. I convey that GoAir is not associated with any of my tweets directly or indirectly as they were personal views.
According to reports, a GoAir spokesperson confirmed the sacking of the pilot and said:
GoAir has zero tolerance policy and it is mandatory for all GoAir employees to comply with the company’s employment rules, regulations and policies, including social media behaviour. The airline does not associate itself with personal views expressed by any individual or an employee. GoAir has terminated the services of the captain with immediate effect.
This sacking has caused quite an uproar on Twitter, with many believing that sacking the pilot over criticising the PM was a good thing to do.
However, there were many more who were extremely critical of this decision.
This doesn’t seem like stopping anytime soon.