Amid the beefed up security ahead of the farmers’ proposed protest in Haryana’s Karnal on September 7, the State government has decided to suspend the mobile Internet services in the district from 12:30 a.m. on September 6, an official order said on Monday.
The order from the State Home Department said the direction to suspend the mobile Internet services in Karnal district will come into effect from September 6 at 12:30 hours and will continue till 23:59 hours on September 7. The order has been issued in a bid to maintain the law and order situation in Karnal district in wake of the call for “ Kisan Mahapanchayat ”.
The order added that there is a clear potential for disruption of public utilities and safety, damage to public assets and amenities, and threat to law and order in Karnal on account of misuse of Internet services by way of spread of inflammatory material and false rumours, which are being or could be transmitted or circulated to the public through social media — messaging services on mobile internet services, SMS services and other dongle services.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said elaborate security arrangements were put in place in view of the farmer’s call for “ gherao ”. “Primary objective of these arrangements is to maintain public peace and order, prevent any kind of violence, facilitate the functioning of traffic and public transport system, and to safeguard the public property across the State in general and Karnal in particular,” he said.
He added that the police was fully alert to prevent any untoward incident. “In addition to making all arrangements, close coordination is also being maintained with civil administration for handling the law and order situation,” he said.
Police has deputed around 40 companies of forces including State police personnel and para-military forces.
Farmer unions have given the call for protest to demand strict legal action the IAS officer, who was at the center of a controversy during the recent baton charge on protesting farmers in Karnal on August 28. Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of farmer unions spearheading the ongoing farmers’ protests against Centre’s farm laws, has announced to ‘gherao’ the Karnal mini-secretariat on September 7 if its demands were not met.
Gurnam Singh of Haryana president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) appealed to farmers to visit the new grain market on September 7, from where, he said farmers will proceed to “gherao” the mini-secretariat.
