Abhijit is India’s WhatsApp head

New Delhi: WhatsApp on Wednesday announced the appointment of Abhijit Bose as its India head — the first time it has named a head for the country that accounts for most users across the world. The Facebook-owned app has been drawing flak from the government to devise ways to trace the origin of fake messages circulated on the platform.

Giving in to the government’s pressure over fake messages, US-based WhatsApp on Wednesday appointed Abhijit Bose as its India head.

Mr Bose will build WhatsApp’s first full country team outside of California and will be based in Gurgaon. He will join WhatsApp in early 2019.

After a spate of lynching incidents in the country due to fake messages spread through Whatsapp platform, the government was pressing the company to set up a corporate entity in India and comply with Indian laws.

In September, the messaging platform had appointed Komal Lahiri as the grievance officer for India. However, she is based out of the US.

The government was nudging Whatsapp that it would be better if the grievance officer for the country is also based out of India.

Mr Bose and his team will focus on helping businesses, both large and small connect with their customers, said the company.

The company has also been testing its payments facility which allows users to send money to each other. WhatsApp formal roll out of its payment operation has been delayed after controversy over false news.