The on-again, off-again status of Internet services in the state of Jammu and Kashmir continues: PTI reports that mobile Internet services were suspended at 10 pm and BSNL broadband connections at 10:30 pm on July 10 (Monday) in the Kashmir Valley, as a precautionary measure after a 'Kashmirawareness' campaign started by alleged separatists gained prominence on social media. Just a day earlier, on Sunday, Internet services had been restored in the state after authorities had blocked it through Friday and Saturday, also as a precautionary measure just before former Hizbul commander Burhan Wani's first death anniversary (July 8). Note that only the 2G services had been restored on Sunday, and the high speed network remains suspended. Last month, the government had directed telecom companies to throttle mobile Internet speeds in Kashmir, starting with bringing 3G and 4G services down to 2G speeds. Earlier in April, the state government had tried another tactic to check the spread of rumours by banning 22 social media services, including Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, YouTube (upload), Vine, Google+, QQ, WeChat, Qzone, Tumblr, Skype, Viber, Line, Snapchat, Pinterest, Telegram, Reddit, Snapfish, Xanga, Buzznet, Flickr and Baidu. But telecom companies struggled to comply with the order as BSNL officials said that they were unable to block the 22 services without freezing the Internet across the Himalayan region, according to this Livemint report. Typically, mobile Internet bans are enforced under Section 144 of the CrPC, which can be invoked by a district magistrate or the collector. To curb incidents of riots or mobs, magistrates or…
