India books Kashmiris for using social media

ISLAMABAD: Police in occupied Kashmir have registered cases against the social media users for violating the directives amid complete ban on broadband and mobile internet in the valley, the Kashmir Media Service reported on Tuesday.

“Taking serious note of misuse of social media, the Cyber Police Station Kashmir Zone registered FIR (First Information Report) against various social media users who defied the government orders and misused the social media platforms,” a police statement issued in Srinagar said.

The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had imposed a communication blackout in the territory to suppress the dissent against the revocation of autonomy in August last year. The authorities had earlier announced the restoration of 2G internet but reversed the decision on January 14, officially banning all social media sites. The decision to partially restore internet connectivity in the region followed a decision by the Indian Supreme Court on January 10 wherein it had ordered the restoration of the internet for all essential services in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

An indefinite suspension of internet services was a violation of the country’s telecom rules, the Supreme Court had said in its order, directing authorities in occupied Kashmir for reviewing all curbs. The August crackdown by Modi government has drawn international criticism, with diplomats from several countries raising concerns about the sorry state of human rights in the valley. Several hundreds of Kashmiri politicians, activists, lawyers and others remain in custody, mostly without charge, including former chief ministers and the mayor of capital Srinagar.