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Haryana Prolongs Suspension of Mobile Internet Services in 7 Districts
By Oluchukwu Ikemefuna
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In an effort to curb the spread of false information on social media, the Haryana government on Thursday once more prolonged the temporary shutdown of mobile internet services in the districts of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa until midnight on February 17.
On February 13 and 15, the government had previously extended the mobile data ban.
Leading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation to exert pressure on the Center for their demands, which include loan waivers and a minimum support price (MSP) for crops, are the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political).
“Delhi Chalo” March Mount Pressure On The Haryana Government
After security forces stopped their “Delhi Chalo” march to press the Centre for various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, protesting farmers remained put at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab’s border with Haryana for a fifth day. This led to clashes.
In addition to a legal guarantee of MSP, the farmers are demanding the following: the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, waivers of farm debt, police cases against them being dropped, “justice” for the victims of the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri in 2021, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, and compensation for the families of farmers who lost their lives during an earlier agitation in 2020–21.
The Haryana Congress decided on Thursday to postpone all of its planned events until February 17 in response to the agitation of farmers. In a statement, party leader Ashok Arora said that former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, state Congress president Udai Bhan, and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda were among those whose political engagements were postponed.
The Congress in Favour Of Farmers’ Request
The Hisar backward class sammelan has also been postponed. According to Arora, Congress is in favour of the farmers’ requests for the Swaminathan Commission report to be implemented, farm loan waivers, and statutory support for the minimum support price.
“After assessment of the current prevailing law and order situation in the state, the conditions are still critical and tense in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa districts,” stated T V S N Prasad, the chief secretary of Haryana.
“Misuse of internet services by spreading inflammatory material and false rumors has the clear potential to disrupt public utilities, damage public assets and amenities, and disturb public law and order in the aforementioned districts,” Prasad stated.
In accordance with Rule 2 of the 2017 Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules and Section 5 of the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885, the order has been issued.
The order states that all dongle services, mobile internet services, bulk SMS (apart from banking and mobile recharge), and other services offered on mobile networks—aside from voice calls within these districts—have been suspended until February 20.
