Mobile net services suspended for few hours in Jammu, restored

Jammu: Fearing law and order problems, authorities Thursday suspended mobile internet services across Jammu region for a few hours following circulation of a few pictures of a beef party held by an Independent MLA in Srinagar yesterday and recovery of cow carcasses.

"We apprehended that some law and order problem might crop up in Jammu region due to misuse of social media. So, as a precautionary measure, the administration decided to snap mobile internet services in Jammu," IGP Jammu range, Danish Rana told PTI.

After a few hours, the services were fully restored in the evening.

"We have asked the mobile service providers to restore the service. The service has already started," Rana said in the evening.

He said the decision to restore the mobile internet services was taken after the administration reviewed the situation.

The decision to snap mobile internet services in Jammu was taken after circulation of a few pictures on social media like Whatsapp showing the beef party that was hosted by the MLA Engineer Rashid at MLA Hostel in Srinagar yesterday, police sources said.

The suspension of internet also came hours after carcasses of three cows were found in Jammu's neighbouring district Udhampur, leading to tension there.

"Three carcasses of slaughtered cows were found behind the SDM office in Chenani tehsil of the district," Udhampur SSP Mohammad Suleman Choudhary said.

As the word of the incident spread, a large number of people took to the streets. Shops also downed their shutters, he said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government had earlier snapped the internet services on mobile as well as on landline connections on September 25 following the High Court directive for implementation of a law banning the slaughter of cows and sale of beef in the state.

The internet services that were banned on September 25 were fully restored after three days on September 28.