The state government of Jammu and Kashmir ordered telecom companies to block access to YouTube and Facebook in the Kashmir Valley, effective midnight Thursday, to curb potential protests over an amateur video that has angered Muslims.
State officials said they had not shut down all Internet services in Jammu and Kashmir, contrary to news reports in India. “We have not limited Internet access in the state,†said B.R Sharma, the principal secretary in the state's department of Home Affairs.
“We have asked Internet service providers to ensure that there is no uploading or downloading of the blasphemous video,†Mr. Sharma, referring to the anti-Islam film “Innoc ence of Muslims,†which was produced in the United States. The video has led to fierce protests on the streets of Kashmir since last week, as well as in many other Muslim countries.
Internet access and cellphone service were blocked in Kashmir on Friday afternoon, resuming at 5 p.m.
Local residents were not able to access YouTube at all; however, access to Facebook was not uniformly blocked across the valley. Twitter was accessible until midmorning.
The Internet service provider Airtel sent out a text message to its users in Kashmir that read: “Mobile Internet access is not available on your Airtel mobile today in compliance with an advisory from the Jammu and Kashmir Police.†The services will be resumed on Saturday, the message said.
Mr. Sharma said that there is a provision under the Indian Telegraph Act of 1855 that can be invoked if any content threatens peace and public safety, allowing the Jammu and Kashmir go vernment to issue the order dated Sept. 20, which said:
(i)All licensed Telecom Service Providers/Internet Service Providers shall make arrangements to ensure that their subscribers/customers/clients in the state of Jammu and Kashmir should not be able to download or upload the contents with regard to film/message/comments/excerpts/ of the blasphemous video titled “Innocence of Muslims†or by any other name. If necessary due to technical reasons, the Fully Qualified Domain Names shall be blocked viz www.youtube.com, www.facebook.com etc.
(ii) They shall also ensure that the BULK mails that are being generated from their subscribers/clients do not contain this file/versions of this file and the content and in case of suspicion/detection, the same shall be blocked and filtered.
“It is not a blanket ban,†said Manoj Pandit, a spokesman from the Jammu and Kashmir Police department. “The state government had asked the central g overnment to block certain URLs on YouTube†that had allowed the dissemination of the anti-Islam video that was “causing a great deal of distress among Muslims in the valley,†Mr. Pandit said.
Rafique Jaan, 25, a student of Kashmir University said the government acted too late. “Lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of people have downloaded it on their mobile phones. The government is just trying to restrict people from communicating with each other,†he said.
Mr. Jaan, who was angry about the video , added: “What was the government doing for the last one week?â€
The situation remained tense in the valley, as the extremist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani had called for a protest after Friday prayers in the valley.
The state police officials said that security has been beefed up in areas more susceptible to violence, which include five areas in parts of old city: Nowhatta, Rainawari, Maharaj Gunj, Khanyar and Kral Khud.
“We have to consider the situation taking into account that there are still heavy protests in Pakistan,†Mr. Pandit said.
A 19-year-old resident of Maharaj Gunj, who spoke to India Ink on the condition of anonymity because he didn't want trouble with the police.
The state police denied that there was a curfew. Mr. Pandit said the police had imposed restrictions on any kind of “mass gathering,†but he told India Ink on Friday morning that “no one has any jurisdiction to close down a mosque.â€
However, by early afternoon, heavy security on the roads leading to the main Jamia Majsid mosque kept people from attending Friday prayers, which usually draw a congregation of about 10,000. In smaller mosques, prayers were allowed to take place.
While schools remained closed, market places were shut and main roads deserted, youngsters were seen hanging around in the alleys of the old town by afternoon, waiting for the restrictions to be eased.
In downtown Srinagar, pol ice lobbed tear gas Friday afternoon to disperse a congregation of about 500 women led by the all-women activist group Dukhtaranâ€"e â€"Millat. The group was holding a peaceful protest when the police came and detained its leader, Asiya Andrabi, said Asiya Firdaus, one of the participants. “It was very brutal, as the police could see that we were carrying children,†Ms. Firdaus said.
In the national capital, the American embassy put out an advisory on its Web site Friday, saying that embassies and consulates across India would close early, anticipating protests. The message asked all U.S. citizens to exercise caution while traveling and urged them to monitor the local media for security updates. Students at the American Embassy School were let out several hours early.
Betwa Sharma contributed reporting from Srinagar.
