In two separate incidents, mobile Internet services were blocked in multiple districts in Gujarat and in the industrial town of Bokaro in Jharkhand. The Indian Express reports that mobile Internet services were cut off in Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Surat and Rajkot following demonstrations by the Patel/Patidar community. Meanwhile, in Bokaro, the Times of India reports that mobile Internet services were disrupted indefinitely following communal clashes during Ramnavami celebrations on Friday. The Indian Express report however added that broadband and landline services were not disrupted. Note this is the fourth incident since September 2015. Earlier in February, Gujarat had shut down mobile Internet services for four hours to prevent cheating on phones during Revenue Accountants Recruitment Exam. In September, the Gujarat government had banned mobile Internet usage for a week in the wake of the protests by the Patel community for reservation. The Gujarat government blocked mobile Internet services in Godhra again in September following derogatory messages against Islam which were circulated on WhatsApp. Both the reports have not mentioned whether the bans enforced under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) that allows local law administration to ban unlawful assembly and justify short bans on Internet services. Section 144 of the CrPC can usually be invoked by a district magistrate or the collector. Mobile internet services restored in Kashmir valley Mobile Internet services were restored in Kashmir Valley on Monday, according to this Times of India report. Services were suspended since Wednesday after rumours of a girl being molested by an army jawan spread across the valley, leading to violence in…
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