E-Paper
Internet banned in areas under 19 Punjab police stations till Feb 24
Union home ministry has extended the ban on mobile internet services in areas falling under 19 police stations in seven districts of Punjab till February 24
Chandigarh : Union home ministry has extended the ban on mobile internet services in areas falling under 19 police stations in seven districts of Punjab till February 24.
Earlier, the internet services were suspended from February 12 till 16 in view of the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.
In the earlier orders, the ministry had banned the mobile internet in eight police stations in Punjab, which has now been extended to 11 more police stations situated on the Punjab-Haryana borders.
The latest orders by the ministry of home affairs, copy of which is with HT, say that the ban on mobile internet services has been extended in Shambhu, Julkan, Patran, Shutrana, Samana, Ghanour, Devigarh and Balbhera police stations in Patiala and Lalru police station in SAS Nagar, Sangat police station in Bathinda, Killianwali in Muktsar, Sardulgarh and Boha in Mansa, Khanauri, Moonak, Lehra, Sunam, Chajli in Sangrur and Fatehgarh police station in Fatehgarh Sahib districts.
The February 16 orders of internet ban has been issued under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017, of the Indian Telegraph Act,1885.
The Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government has already objected to the Centre’s move to invoke its “special powers” to bypass state government and directly banning mobile internet services in farm stir-hit areas.
Objections were raised by chief minister Bhagwant Mann at a meeting of three union ministers with the protesting farm leaders on February 15 even as the state home department officials say there is no provision under the law to inform the state if the Centre wants to ban the internet services in any state.
After the CM’s objections, three Union ministers, according to a senior Punjab government functionary, had assured him to take a positive view of the situation.
the ban has been extended citing public emergency and public safety on the basis of reports of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), it is learnt.
