Internet services suspended till Tuesday in Ambala amid farmers' protest
The Haryana government has temporarily suspended mobile internet, SMS and dongle services in parts of Ambala district from December 14 to 17 following the "Delhi Kooch" call by farmers' organizations. The suspension was imposed at 6:00am on Saturday and will remain in effect till 11:59pm on Tuesday. Villages like Dangdehri, Lohgarh, and Saddopur are among the affected areas. However, essential services like individual SMS, banking communications, voice calls, and broadband will remain operational to minimize public inconvenience, ANI reported.
Suspension aims to prevent misinformation spread
The official order mentions potential law-and-order disruptions due to the misuse of internet services for spreading misinformation and rumors as the reason behind this decision. The Haryana authorities cited "an apprehension of causing tension, annoyance, agitation, damage of public & private property and disturbance of public peace and tranquility in the area of district Ambala." The order was issued under Section 20 of The Telecommunications Act, 2023.
Farmers' protest continues with fresh march to Delhi
Meanwhile, Sarwan Singh Pandher of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announced that a group of 101 farmers would attempt another march to Delhi from the Shambhu border at noon on Saturday. This is the protest's 307th day as farmers continue to demand a charter of 12 demands, including Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. The Haryana police laid heavy barricading at the Ghaggar River bridge on National Highway 44 to prevent unrest and property damage.
