Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari has been moved to a new role in the company based in the United States, as Senior Director, Revenue Strategy and Operations, Moneycontrol.com reported on August 13. The US-based role will be focused on new markets worldwide, and he will be reporting to Senior Director, Global Strategy and Operations at Twitter Deitra Mara, the report said. Tweeting about the development, Yu Sasamoto, Vice President of Twitter JAPAC (Japan, South Korea and Asia Pacific) wrote, “Thank you to @manishm for your leadership of our Indian business over the past 2+ years. Congrats on your new US-based role in charge of revenue strategy and operations for new markets worldwide. Excited to see you lead this important growth opportunity for Twitter.”
India Today quoted a Twitter spokesperson as saying "Manish is moving into a new role based in San Francisco as Senior Director, Revenue Strategy and Operations focused on New Market Entry.” Manish Maheshwari, who had previously been working as the CEO of Network18 Digital, was appointed as the MD of Twitter’s operations in India in April 2019. While the reason for the change in his post is unclear, the move comes in the midst of multiple controversies. Recently, there have been allegations of non-compliance by Twitter of India’s new IT rules.
Twitter had recently blocked the official accounts of the Congress party and several of its leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, for posting pictures of the family of the nine-year-old Dalit girl who was raped and murdered recently in Delhi. Twitter said that the posts were in violation of its rules and the action was to protect individuals' privacy and safety. Congress leaders have accused Twitter of acting under pressure from the Government of India, with Rahul Gandhi terming it as an attack on the democratic structure of the country.
Thank you to @manishm for your leadership of our Indian business over the past 2+ years. Congrats on your new US-based role in charge of revenue strategy and operations for new markets worldwide. Excited to see you lead this important growth opportunity for Twitter.
— yu-san (@yusasamoto) August 13, 2021
Maheshwari had been summoned for questioning in Ghaziabad police’s probe into an FIR against Twitter India and news website The Wire, as well as journalists Mohammed Zubair, Rana Ayyub, author Saba Naqvi, Congress politicians Salman Nizami, Maskoor Usmani and Shama Mohamed. Those named in the FIR had been accused of sharing a video which allegedly triggered communal violence, allegedly shared with an intention to provoke communal unrest.
On July 23, the Karnataka High Court quashed a summons by Uttar Pradesh Police asking Manish Maheshwari to appear before them for questioning. Justice G Narendar had said that the police can either question Manish virtually or at his residence or office in Bengaluru, adding that physical appearance is not mandatory.