Bhiwani deaths: Internet services, SMS suspended for 3 days in Haryana’s Nuh after protests
The temporary suspension of services will be in force from Sunday, February 26 till midnight on Tuesday, February 28. While the suspended mobile internet services include 2G/3G/4G/CDMA and GPRS, the SMS services halted include bulk SMS but not those related to banking and mobile recharge.
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Two days after protesters staged a stir in Nuh’s Ferozepur Jhirka and blocked the Gurgaon-Alwar highway demanding the immediate arrest of the accused in the Bhiwani deaths, the Haryana Government on Sunday suspended mobile internet, all SMS services and dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice calls, in Nuh district with immediate effect.
The temporary suspension of services will be in force from Sunday, February 26 till midnight on Tuesday, February 28. While the suspended mobile internet services include 2G/3G/4G/CDMA and GPRS, the SMS services halted include bulk SMS but not those related to banking and mobile recharge.
An official spokesperson for the government said that in view of potential communal tensions and disturbance of public peace, a temporary suspension has been imposed to stop the spread of disinformation and rumours through various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, etc, on mobile phones and through SMS.
“The said suspension has been ordered under Section 5 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 to be read along with Rule (2) of Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017. All telecom service providers of Haryana have been hereby directed to ensure the compliance of this order and any person found guilty of the violation of the aforesaid order will be liable for legal action under relevant provisions,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“…it has been brought to my notice…by the district magistrate, Nuh, that there is a potential cause for communal tension, obstruction or injury to persons, danger to human life and property, disturbance of public peace and tranquillity in district Nuh. And whereas, there is a clear potential of disruption of public utilities, damage to public assets and amenities and disturbance of public law and order in district Nuh on account of misuse of internet services by way of spread of inflammatory material and false rumours, which are being/could be transmitted/circulated to the public through social media/messaging services on mobile internet services, SMS services and other dongle services,” read the order from the additional chief secretary, Home department, Haryana.
The protests were held in the wake of the deaths of two men, Junaid and Nasir from Rajasthan, who had gone missing on February 15 and whose charred bodies were found a day later at Loharu in Haryana’s Bhiwani district. Their family members had alleged in the FIR that members of the Bajrang Dal were involved in the attack. The Rajasthan Police arrested one person in the case and identified eight others whose roles in the crime have been proved in the investigation so far.
Following the protest in Ferozepur Jhirka on Friday, the Nuh police booked 500-600 unidentified persons for blocking the highway during the march.
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