Following a Supreme Court order on Tuesday (September 17, 2024), instructing the removal of the identity of the murdered medic at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College from Wikipedia, the Wikimedia Foundation took steps to avoid a direct confrontation with the court. Although the Foundation does not typically engage in editing or censoring content, making it difficult to immediately alter the article, a representative joined a user discussion regarding the matter. Volunteer editors subsequently removed the victim's name from the entry.
Joe Sutherland, a member of the Foundation's trust and safety team, addressed the situation by explaining that the Foundation had received inquiries related to the Supreme Court’s directive against publicizing the victim’s name and image. Sutherland emphasized that organizations advocating for victims of sexual violence often recommend this practice, taking into consideration the safety of the victim’s family and associates.
This move followed the Supreme Court’s broader order for all electronic media to refrain from revealing the victim’s identity, one day before Wikipedia was specifically mentioned in court proceedings. Sutherland noted that certain outlets, including the BBC, had already ceased publishing the victim’s name in line with Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which makes it illegal to disclose the identity of sexual assault victims in India.
A spokesperson for the Foundation stated that content concerns on Wikipedia are typically handled by its volunteer community. When such issues arise, the Foundation flags them to volunteers, who then work to resolve them according to the platform’s guidelines and policies.
Sutherland further acknowledged that although the Wikimedia Foundation is based in the U.S., it remains mindful of local laws and cultural contexts in other regions. He added that when the Wikipedia community reaches a consensus on a content issue, it is crucial to provide clear and well-reasoned justifications, enabling the Foundation to explain the outcome to courts and other authorities.
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