Bharat Bandh: A Bihar government official said the suspension of mobile internet services was ordered to maintain law and order and prevent rumours about the protests over Agnipath
Mobile internet services in 20 Bihar districts have been suspended in view of the Bharat bandh called for Monday against the new defence recruitment scheme Agnipath that has provoked violent protests in several parts of the country, people aware of the matter said.
The Nitish Kumar-led state government, which was last week criticised by its coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not taking enough steps to control the protests, started suspending internet services on Friday starting with 15 districts.
The latest order on Sunday extended the internet services ban in 15 districts and imposed the restriction in five more districts, covering more than half of Bihar’s 38 districts.
The districts are Kaimur, Bhojpur, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Buxar, Nawada, West Champaran, East Champaran, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Begusarai, Vaishali, Saran, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, Madhubani, Jehanabad, Khagaria and Sheikhpura districts.
“The suspension of mobile internet services, all SMS services, including bulk SMS (excluding banking and mobile recharge), and all dongle services provided on mobile networks has been ordered to maintain law and order and prevent the spread of rumours,” said an official of Bihar’s home department.
The authorities have also stepped up the security of BJP leaders and party offices which were targeted by protesters demanding that the government roll back the Agnipath scheme to induct youth between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 years for a four-year tenure. After protests broke out amid criticism about the length of service and the lack of pension provisions for those released early, the government on Thursday allowed, as a one-time exception, those up to the age of 23 to apply for the scheme.
Bihar government officials said the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the border guarding force deployed along the Indo-Nepal border has been told to secure BJPs offices in Kishanganj, Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepura, Purnia, Motihari, Darbhanga, Naugachhia, Bhagalpur, Katihar and Banka. One platoon force deployed at these party offices, said an official of SSB’s Frontier Headquarters, Patna.
Railway Protection Force’s security commissioner of East Central Railway, has also issued an internal communication asking all units to deal with rioters strictly.
Bihar’s additional director general (Law and Order) Sanjay Singh has underlined that the state police are on alert and have deployed 15 companies of central armed police forces (CAPFs) and 35 companies of Bihar state auxiliary police (BSAP) across the state.
