Once again, internet suspension is back in Punjab; MHA issues order

Once again, internet suspension is back in Punjab; MHA issues order

Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ March 4,2024

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has once again issued an order of suspension of internet services in few locations of Patiala and Sangrur district amid the ongoing farmers’ protest.

As per MHA orders this will affect areas under the jurisdiction of police station Shambhu, Patran and Shutrana in Patiala district and Khanauri in Sangrur district from 00:00 Hrs on March 02,2024 to 23:59 Hrs on March 05,2024.

For the first time, the ministry of home affairs had suspended the internet services to curtail the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ program in Punjab citing intelligence reports, from 00:00 Hrs on February 11, 2024 to 23:59 Hrs on February 16, 2024 in police stations of Shambhu, Julkan, Passian, Patran, Lalru, Sangat, Killianwali, Sardulgarh and Boha in Punjab bordering Haryana citing the plea “in the interest of maintaining public safety and averting public emergency, it is necessary and expedient to order, the temporary suspension of internet”. The orders were issued on February 10,2024.

Again on February 12, 2024 a revised orders were issued on the suspension of internet services and added more police station areas of Punjab. This time the areas of Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib and more police stations of Patiala district were added.

Before the expiry of its order on February 16,2024 the ministry had once again extended its order of suspension of internet services in 20 police stations in seven districts of Punjab bordering Haryana from  00:00 Hrs on February 17, 2024 to 23:59 Hrs on February 24, 2024  .

On February 24, 2024 the ministry of home affairs (MHA) had extended the suspension of internet services in 20 police stations of Punjab, bordering Haryana for two days i.e upto February 26,2024.

Later the MHA reduces the area where internet remained suspended from February 28 to March 1,2024. The jurisdiction of police station Shambhu, Patran and Shutrana in Patiala district and Khanauri in Sangrur district remained suspended during this period.

Once again, internet suspension is back in Punjab; MHA issues order. Farmers’ are still protesting at Shambhu, Khanauri, bordering Haryana. They had launched a ‘Delhi Chalo’ march in early February to press the Centre to accept their demands — including a law on minimum support price for crops, farm loan waiver along with other demands.