Saturday, January 18, 2025

Punjab Govt extends suspension of internet, SMS till Tuesday noon

Date:

Chandigarh: Amid the ongoing crackdown against the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh, the suspension of mobile internet, SMS and dongle services will continue till Tuesday noon, the Punjab government informed.

All mobile internet services, all SMS services (except banking and mobile recharge), and all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except the voice call, in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab are suspended till March 21 (12:00 hours) in the interest of public safety,” the department of Home Affairs and Justice, Government of Punjab informed in a statement on Monday.

The statement by the Punjab government stated that certain sections in the society are likely to threaten public order, and they widely use social media platforms for mobilizing their “anti-national activities.”

“It has been brought to my notice that certain sections of society are holding protests at several places in the State and are likely to threaten public order by incitement to violence,” the statement read.

The statement further added, “It has further been brought to my notice that these sections of society widely use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. and also Short Message Service (SMS) for spreading of inflammatory material and false rumors, to provoke mobilization of mobs of agitators and demonstrators, mobilize their own manpower and resources for their anti-national activities”.

Notably, the suspension of internet and SMS services in Punjab was brought in place on Saturday and was again extended on Sunday, in the wake of the situation.

Earlier in the day, Punjab Police informed that the uncle and driver of Amritpal Singh have surrendered before the police.

SSP Jalandhar Swarndeep Singh confirmed, “Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh’s uncle and driver surrendered before the Punjab police last night”.

ANI

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