The J&K Police on Friday took action against six netizens in Kashmir, a day after Deputy Commissioners in the Valley issued notices prohibiting posting or uploading by way of forwarding or sharing any messages “encouraging disaffection, secessionist ideology, false narratives and hatred on religious ground”.
A police spokesman said the Srinagar Police and the Cyber Police Kashmir took “cognizance against six individuals for propagation of false information, instigative content inciting disaffection and anti-social propaganda on social media platforms”.
“Legal action under relevant sections of law has been taken,” the police said.
The police appealed to the common man “to desist from posting, sharing, propagating instigative, provocative content, misinformation, anti-social propaganda and rumour mongering”.
The police action comes a day after the Deputy Commissioners in Kashmir issued a fresh order on sharing posts or content on social media platforms.
“Some anti-national persons or groups are resorting to misuse of social-media networking platforms on internet by ‘preparing’ or ‘posting’ or ‘spreading’ or ‘propagating’ by way of ‘forwarding’ or ‘sharing’ incendiary messages and propaganda of terrorist and separatist outfits,” Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat, District Magistrate, Kulgam, said, in an order.
The order underlined that such activities were being carried out with the intention to glorify terrorists and their actions; intimidate and terrorise individuals or the general public or sections of the public; exhort members of the public to resort to violence by inciting, encouraging and spreading disaffection or hatred, propagate terrorist and secessionist ideology and false narratives and promoting fell of hatred, ill-will on religious ground and likely to disturb public order and tranquillity.
“Such acts on part of these anti-national persons or groups are prejudicial to the security of the state, maintenance of law and order and are likely to disturb the public tranquility. The District Magistrate, Kulgam, do hereby prohibit and order the general public to refrain from ‘posting’ or ‘uploading’ or ‘propagating’ by way of ‘forwarding’ or ‘sharing’ any messages or content as mentioned with immediate effect within the limits of Kulgam,” the order reads.
Similar orders were issued in other districts of the Valley.
In a separate order, the Kupwara district in north Kashmir pointed out that the activities and mushrooming of unregistered online news portal or social media portals reporting on news and current affairs “without any accountability and verification and violation of the orders shall invite punitive action under section 188 of IPC 1860 and other relevant sections in law”.
The latest crackdown comes as Kashmir witnessed students protest on several campuses, following an engineering student of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) allegedly sharing “blasphemous” content against Islam and prophet Muhammad. The police have already taken action in the case. Meanwhile, the NIT has also been closed for winter vacations and students were given a deadline of Friday morning to leave the campus and vacate the hostels.
The authorities also declared winter vacations for all the degree colleges and informed that online classes will be organised from December 1. However, a fresh protest broke out at the Kashmir University in Srinagar where hundreds of students marched on campus and raised pro-Islam slogans.
