The administration of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, 8 January, extended the ban on high-speed mobile Internet services in J&K, excluding Ganderbal and Udhampur districts till 22 January 2021.
The order by Principal Secretary to the Government Shaleen Kabra said that the ban was imperative in view of “law enforcement apprehensions” about the misemployment of high-speed internet for organisation of terror activities.
It stated, “The apprehensions of the law enforcement agencies regarding misuse of high speed mobile data services for infiltration and for coordinating (militant) activities gets credence from investigation of ongoing cases and recent incident of interception of (militants) and recoveries of arms/ammunition, with increased activity on the IB/LoC.”
The order further justified the extension of the ban by noting that it was essential for the “overall safety scenario” and to prevent the misuse of social media in view of “the terror activities during the last fortnight.”
In December, the administration had extended the ban to 8 January 2021.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)