[The tensions have been heightened this month by the wide circulation of videos showing what are purported to be abuses by the security forces. One shows soldiers beating a boy with sticks as he writhes on the ground. Another now-infamous video shows a young man strapped to the front of an army jeep and paraded around villages in the region, a caution to stone-pelting protesters. Others depict civilians pelting security officers with stones.]
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Students using the internet on their mobile phones in
controlled
block social networking services. Credit Dar Yasin/Associated Press
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In
the order, the government notified internet service providers to block the
transmission of messages on 22 social networking services, including Facebook, WhatsApp
and Twitter, for a month, or until further orders were issued.
The
move illuminated a government increasingly vexed by civilian protests, by a
newly budding homegrown militancy in south Kashmir and by a series of video clips, distributed
on social media, depicting confrontations between civilians and Indian security
forces.
The
order, signed by the principal secretary in the state’s Home Department, contended
that social media was being used by “anti-national and subversive elements” for
“vitiating peace and tranquillity” in the state.
The
internet is often restricted in Kashmir
— to prevent election interference and to quell protests and strikes, which
often turn violent when police and security officers clash with civilians. From
2012 to 2016, it was blocked at least 31 times, the Software Freedom Law Center
But
the scope of Wednesday’s order was far broader, reflecting the government’s
determination to stem the anger of a population that is growing increasingly
difficult to control.
In
recent days, the valley has seen angry protests from students rebelling against
the heavy-handed tactics employed by the police and security forces in subduing
demonstrators demanding greater autonomy or outright independence. On April 9, separatist
leaders called for a boycott of a vote for a parliamentary seat representing Srinagar
After
roiling student protests on April 17 in Pulwama, in south Kashmir , the government suspended college classes in
the region for several days. The protests have continued, however, and on
Monday, students in Srinagar
The
unrest has put an uncomfortable spotlight on the state’s chief minister, Mehbooba
Mufti, who runs the government alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
Bharatiya Janata Party. She met this week with Mr. Modi to discuss the
agitation.
The
tensions have been heightened this month by the wide circulation of videos
showing what are purported to be abuses by the security forces. One shows
soldiers beating a boy with sticks as he writhes on the ground. Another now-infamous
video shows a young man strapped to the front of an army jeep and paraded
around villages in the region, a caution to stone-pelting protesters. Others
depict civilians pelting security officers with stones.
Tassaduq
Mufti, the chief minister’s brother and a member of her political party, said
in an interview last week with The Indian Express, a national newspaper, that
the videos were a “provocation” that “outraged people across the board.”
Nitish
Kumar, a senior police official, said in a phone interview that the order would
help the police check the spread of rumors over Facebook and WhatsApp.
“It
will give us that time to manage the situation,” he said, calling social
networking sites the “main platform” used by protesters.
On
Wednesday, young people in Srinagar
“The
government has to understand that there is a sentiment which forces students to
come out on the streets: it is not the internet, it is not Facebook or any
other social media platform,” said Aqib Shah, a 19-year-old student at Amar Singh College Srinagar
Imran
Arshad, a student at Sri
Pratap College Srinagar
“They
can stop the internet, they can shut down schools, but the anger remains in our
hearts and minds.”
Sameer
Yasir contributed reporting from Srinagar New Delhi
