⁍ Representative of Amazon.com Inc in India have refused to appear before a parliamentary panel reviewing the country’s privacy bill.

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⁍ Meenakshi Lekhi, head of a parliamentary panel which is reviewing the Indian government’s Personal Data Protection Bill, had said the officials’ refusal to appear before it on Oct. 28 could lead to ‘coercive action’ against the company.

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⁍ Amazon said in a statement it would continue to engage with the panel and there had been a misunderstanding about its position which it will work towards clarifying.

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– Amazon has been accused of threatening “coercive action” against Indian lawmakers after the company refused to appear before a panel reviewing a proposed privacy bill, Reuters reports. “Amazon is doing huge business in India … If it doesn’t appear before the committee, coercive action may be initiated against it,” says Meenakshi Lekhi, an Indian lawmaker and head of the parliamentary panel. Lekhi didn’t specify what that coercive action might be, but other lawmakers on the panel say it could include jail time for the company if it doesn’t appear before the panel. Amazon says it will continue to cooperate with the committee. Facebook, Google, and Twitter have also been asked to appear before the panel.