India may ban social media in Kashmir for 6 months

Srinagar: Amid frequent internet blackout in the held Kashmir, the Indian government is now ‘deliberating on the idea to ban social media altogether’, the Kashmir Reader quoted sources as saying.

According to the report, the government of Narendra Modi is of the view that this ‘extreme step is necessary to counter the use of social media especially during protests’, which have exposed the atrocities towards Kashmiri people.

Kashmiri youth have been using social media such as Whatsapp, Facebook and YouTube to reach out to people by streaming protests or highlighting excesses of government troops, it said.

“There have been suggestions made that the use of online networks like Facebook, WhatsApp and Youtube should be banned, rather than snapping Internet intermittently in the Valley,” a ruling party leader privy to the development said. He said that social media networks are likely to be banned for the next six months of summer to prevent further flare-up of the situation.

“It’s not the bandwidth but the use of social networks by certain sections which add fuel to the fire. Therefore, it is better to put a stop to this rather than putting a blanket ban on the internet,” he said, adding that these suggestions have been made to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

On Monday, when hundreds of students marched and clashed with occupied troops across the Valley, videos of protesting students were streamed live on Facebook, prompting the local government to suspend mobile Internet services. So far, mobile Internet services have been barred twice this month. Last year, Kashmir reeled under Internet blackout 10 times.

A case was lodged against Indian army after a video went viral on social media showing a man tied to the army jeep and being used as human shield. The video sparked outrage and triggered protests.

JK Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid declined to comment on the issue, saying he was not privy to the deliberations on banning social media.