Haryana govt orders suspension of mobile Internet in Nuh, imposes Section 144; DGP holds meeting

Chandigarh: The Haryana government on Saturday ordered the suspension of mobile Internet and bulk SMS services in the communally-charged Nuh district till August 28 in view of a call for a 'shobha yatra'. In view of the yatra call, Director-General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur presided over a meeting with senior officers of bordering states through videoconferencing and called for a coordinated effort to effectively deal with the situation.

In the meeting, attended by senior police officers of Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, Kapur said the administration has denied permission for the yatra due to a meeting of the G20 Sherpa Group, scheduled to be held in Nuh during September 3-7, and to maintain law and order in the aftermath of the July 31 violence. The government announced the decision to suspend mobile Internet from August 26-28, apprehending the spread of rumours through social media ahead of or during Monday's rally.

The Nuh authorities had recently denied permission to hold the religious procession on August 28 after an earlier one in July was disrupted following communal violence. The order to suspend mobile Internet was issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) TVSN Prasad on Saturday. The district administration has also imposed Section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting the assembly of four or more people in an area, as a precautionary measure. This order will be effective from August 26-28, said officials. During this period, no person will be allowed to carry weapons such as licensed firearms, lathis, axes and others. The Haryana government had earlier suspended mobile Internet services in Nuh after communal clashes broke out.

Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the communal clashes that erupted in Nuh when a religious procession of the Vishva Hindu Parishad was attacked by a mob on July 31. According to an official statement on Saturday, police chief Kapur said despite permission being denied for the yatra, there are inputs that certain organisations have invited people from Haryana and neighbouring states to reach Nuh on August 28. He said all necessary arrangements have been made by the Haryana Police in view of the proposed yatra. Police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order. As a preventive measure, mobile Internet has been suspended in Nuh.

While emphasising the need for sharing intelligence inputs to effectively deal with the situation, Kapur asked the senior police functionaries of bordering states to ensure regular monitoring of social media and share information about the people who try to disrupt peace through hate speeches and take action against them according to law. Inter-state barricading should also be done to prevent any kind of mobilisation of people, he asserted. Nobody will be allowed to take the law into their hands. Kapur said Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mamta Singh will be the nodal officer and stationed in Nuh.

He asked the police officers of bordering states that in case any incident that can disrupt communal harmony comes to their notice, it should be shared on a real-time basis so that preventive action can be taken on time. Regarding the order suspending mobile Internet, the order by Prasad read, "...This order is issued to prevent disturbance of peace and public order in the jurisdiction of district Nuh and shall be in force with effect from August 26, 1200 hours, to August 28, 2359 hours." On Friday, Nuh Deputy Commissioner Dhirendra Khadgata wrote to Prasad, bringing to his notice that the Sarv Jatiya Hindu Mahapanchayat had called for a Brij Mandal Shoba Yatra in the district on August 28.

In the letter, he said there is an apprehension of the misuse of social media/bulk messages by anti-social elements to disturb the peace. "Therefore, it is necessary to suspend all mobile Internet and bulk SMS services in Nuh district to avoid any untoward situation," Khadgata wrote, requesting Prasad to issue the necessary directions. In his Saturday order, Prasad said there is a clear potential for the disruption of public utilities, damage to public assets and amenities and disturbance of public law and order in Nuh via the spread of rumours and inflammatory content through the Internet. He ordered the temporary suspension of mobile Internet services (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, CDMA, GPRS), bulk SMS (excluding banking and mobile recharge) and all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice calls. Additional Director General of Police (CID) Alok Mittal, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mamta Singh and Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar were present in the meeting presided over by Kapur. Punjab Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla, Rajasthan Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Anand Shrivastav, Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General of Police (Agra) Anupam Kulshrestha, Delhi Joint Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Gupta, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order, Zone 1) Deepender Pathak, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order, Zone 2) Sagar Preet Hooda and Chandigarh Senior Superintendent of Police Kanwardeep Kaur joined the meeting via videoconferencing.