KV Correspondent

Internet gag continued for second day

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The internet services in Kashmir valley continued to remain suspended in the wake of  first death anniversary of Hizbul Mujihadeen commander, Burhan Wani.

Authorities had on Thursday asked mobile internet service providers to completely suspend their services till further orders.  Not only mobile internet services but broadband services were also snapped by authorities after the state police recommended for the same..

An order was issued by Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Munir Ahmad Khan, directing various lease line internet service providers in the valley to block all social media websites.

“In view of the apprehensions of misuse of internet services by anti-national elements, which is likely to cause deterioration in law and order situation, you are directed to block all social media sites,” the order read.

Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister, hit out at government seeking restoration of the internet. Mobile Internet services were snapped on Thursday, only to be restored around 10 am on Friday. The service was again snapped in the evening.

“Confused J&K Govt restores mobile internet for a few hours only to shut it down again. Their cluelessness knows no bounds,” tweeted Abdullah.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Munir Ahmad Khan told ‘Kashmir Vision’ that the police authorities have decided to take the stock of the situation  to decide the future course of action regarding the clampdown. 

“We are going to have a situation review meeting in the evening and we will decide accordingly,” he said.

When Hizb commander Burhan Wani was killed last year in Bamdoora village of south Kashmir, government suspended the internet across the state on 9 July.  The gag on internet continued till 27 January.

According to the data by the Internet Shutdown, a website which tracks the internet shutdowns across India, internet was shut down in Jammu and Kashmir for ten times in 2016.  With the latest internet blockade in the valley ahead of Burhan Wani death anniversary, the authorities clamped down on the internet in the state for the seventh time in 2017.

On May 27, 2017 authorities suspended mobile internet in the valley hours after the government lifted a month-long ban on 22 social networking websites and apps in the Valley. 

The government said at the time of the ban that it was necessary because social media services were “being misused by antinational and antisocial elements”.

Mobile internet services were again snapped as a precautionary measure in the wake of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sabzar Ahmad Bhat in an encounter with security forces in Tral.

Authorities cut off high-speed mobile internet services on June 9 in Kashmir following the killing of a civilian by security forces in Shopian district.

The latest in the series of internet blockades came on July 1, when authorities snapped mobile internet in Anantnag district of South Kashmir following the killing of a woman and injuries to three civilian near the encounter site in Brenthi Dialgam village. Two militants including Bashir Lashkari was killed in the encounter too.

 

 

 

 

 


KV Correspondent

Kashmir Correspondent cover all daily updates for the newspaper

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