Mobile Internet services were cut off in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh since Tuesday after authorities feared a law and order situation in the state's capital following the suicide of former chief minister Kalikho Pul, reports The Telegraph. The report added that the data and bulk SMS services were snapped despite the state administration saying that the order could be lifted on Tuesday night. In February, the Supreme Court of India upheld the districts and states’ right to ban mobile Internet services for maintaining law and order in February. The bench said: “it becomes very necessary sometimes for law and order.” Typically bans such as this are enforced under Section 144 of the CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) which allows local law administration to ban unlawful assembly and justify short bans on Internet services. The number of Internet blocks has increased dramatically the Supreme Court's ruling. Since September 2015, MediaNama has counted 15 incidences of Internet services being blocked . The Software Freedom Law Centre has tracked 30 incidents on Internet being cut off in since 2013. Kashmir services blocked: Earlier this month, the Jammu & Kashmir state administration blocked GPRS-operated WhatsApp ‘as a precautionary measure’ to keep rumours in check last Friday (5 August). It restored the service on the same evening in Jammu. However, users in the state reported that Internet services were blocked for other websites and services as well. Last month, mobile Internet services were been restored in the Kashmir valley after 17 days. Services were cut in over 10 districts on July 9 after security forces killed…
