Manipur government suspends internet services in state till September 15

Imphal (Manipur) [India], September 10 (ANI): In view of fresh violence in Manipur, the state government has imposed a ban on internet services in the state starting on Tuesday.

In a notice issued by the Manipur government on Tuesday, it was noted that the ban on the internet is to prevent the spread of disinformation and false rumours, through various social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

According to the orders by the Manipur government, the intt ban will continue till September 15.

“In exercise of the powers conferred under Rule 2 of Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017, having satisfied that the above situation is likely to cause serious disturbances to the peaceful co-existence and maintenance of public order, do hereby order temporary suspension/curbing of internet and mobile data services, including lease lines, VSATs, Broadbands and VPN services, in the territorial jurisdiction of the State of Manipur for 5 (five) days with effect from 3:00 P.M. of 10-09-2024 till 3:00 P.M. of 15-09-2024,” the notice stated.

“Whereas, there Is an imminent danger of loss of life and /or damage to public/private property, and wide spread disturbances to public tranquillity and communal harmony, as a result of inflammatory material and false rumours, that might be transmitted/circulated to the public through social media/messaging services on mobile services, SMS services and dongle services” the notice read.

Earlier today, Manipur Inspector General of Police for Operations, IK Muviah, said that they would most likely hand over all the pieces of evidence that they have collected during their investigation of the drone bombing case to the central investigating agencies and that it will be investigated at a higher level.

“We are collecting various pieces of evidence…Most likely, we will be handing over these kinds of important cases to the national investigative agencies so that they can be investigated at the highest level…We have recovered all the bomb fragments; they have been sent to the forensic lab so that chemicals that have been used can be detected,” Inspector General of Police for Operations, IK Muviah, said.

“We have clarified the incident on our official media handles very clearly and we stand by it,” he added.