Bengal government suspends Internet services in Howrah

Sources say the step has become necessary because of fears that the facility can be used to spread rumours to facilitate 'unlawful activities'

A vehicle allegedly set ablaze by miscreants during a protest in Howrah on Friday.: PTI photo

TT Special Correspondent   |   Calcutta   |  11.06.22  : The Bengal government has suspended Internet services in large parts of Howrah district till 6am on Monday to avert the escalation of tensions over the hate-fuelled comments by the now-axed BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Navin Jindal.

Sources said the step had become necessary because of fears — fuelled by recent events at some places in the district — that the Internet could be used to spread rumours to facilitate “unlawful activities” in Howrah over the next few days.

Elsewhere in the country, mostly peaceful protests were held after Friday prayers. Clerics had appealed for restraint and said politics should be kept out of the issue. Clashes between protesters and police were reported in a few places such as Ranchi, Allahabad and Bhaderwah town of Jammu.

On Thursday, some people had blocked the junction of Kona Expressway and NH16 at Nibra near Domjur in Howrah for over 11 hours.

On Friday, roadblocks against the then BJP spokespersons’ hate speeches were reported from various parts of the district.

Roadblocks were set up also in some other parts of the state, including Park Circus in Calcutta, Burdwan town and Jangipur in Murshidabad.

“So far, the situation is under control in other areas. But we are concerned about the situation in Howrah as the protesters are not ready to cooperate with the administration. This is why the Internet services had to be suspended for the next few days in the district. The authorities are keeping a sharp eye on the developments,” a senior official said.

Some officials said the situation in Howrah was a worry because the protesters were continuing to block roads and engage in violence despite chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s appeal for peace on Thursday.

“Although the chief minister appealed against such activities on Thursday, the protesters ransacked a BJP party office, attacked the Panchla police station and set fire to a few vehicles and shops in Howrah on Friday. We feel that if we can control the situation in Howrah, it will not spread to other areas,” an official said.

Another official in Howrah said that railway services had been affected at several places because of track blockades till late in the evening.

“South Eastern Railway had to cancel several local trains on Friday, inconveniencing a large number of passengers, while many long-distance trains too were affected with protesters laying siege to railway tracks,” the official added.

An advocate, Sushmita Saha Datta, mentioned the road blockades before the bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava at Calcutta High Court. Datta sought the court’s permission to file an application seeking deployment of paramilitary forces in Howrah and other parts of Bengal.

The Chief Justice asked Dutta to file her application before the appropriate section of the high court.