New Delhi: Amid CAA protests across the country, the Internet was suspended in parts of Delhi today on orders that the police said “should be treated as an absolute direction”. An order of the Delhi Police Special Cell said voice, SMS and internet were to be halted because of the law and order situation.
Shutdown of mobile services on Thursday in parts of Delhi was restored after around five hours but protests are continuing in other parts of the national capital.
Internet was shut at ITO, one of the busiest parts of the capital featuring media offices, and northeast Delhi, where violence had erupted in the last few days in Seelampur and Brijpuri.
“In view of the prevailing law and order situation, it is directed that communication of all types, voice, SMS and internet, be halted from 9 am to 1 pm,” said the police notice, listing the Walled City, Mandi House, Seelampur, Jaffarbad and Mustafabad, Jamia Nagar and Bawana. “This should be treated as an absolute direction and compliance should be reported,” said the letter addressed to service providers last evening.
“There is planned outage scheduled as per government directive. This will be rectified as soon as we receive the next directive from the authority,” Vodafone from its official Twitter handle tweeted in response to a query on outage.
Opposition leaders such as Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has criticized the crackdown. “Metro stations are closed. The Internet is shut. Section 144 has been imposed everywhere…,” she tweeted.
News agencies