Chandigarh, Aug 26: The Haryana government on Saturday ordered the suspension of mobile Internet and bulk SMS services in the communally-charged Nuh district till August 28 in view of a call for a ‘shobha yatra’.
In view of the yatra call, Director-General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur presided over a meeting with senior officers of bordering states through videoconferencing and called for a coordinated effort to effectively deal with the situation.
In the meeting, attended by senior police officers of Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, Kapur said the administration has denied permission for the yatra due to a meeting of the G20 Sherpa Group, scheduled to be held in Nuh during September 3-7, and to maintain law and order in the aftermath of the July 31 violence. The government announced the decision to suspend mobile Internet from August 26-28, apprehending the spread of rumours through social media ahead of or during Monday’s rally. The Nuh authorities had recently denied permission to hold the religious procession on August 28 after an earlier one in July was disrupted following communal violence.
The order to suspend mobile Internet was issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) TVSN Prasad on Saturday.
The district administration has also imposed Section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting the assembly of four or more people in an area, as a precautionary measure.
This order will be effective from August 26-28, said officials. During this period, no person will be allowed to carry weapons such as licensed firearms, lathis, axes and others.
The Haryana government had earlier suspended mobile Internet services in Nuh after communal clashes broke out.
Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the communal clashes that erupted in Nuh when a religious procession of the Vishva Hindu Parishad was attacked by a mob on July 31.
According to an official statement on Saturday, police chief Kapur said despite permission being denied for the yatra, there are inputs that certain organisations have invited people from Haryana and neighbouring states to reach Nuh on August 28 (PTI)
