NEW DELHI, Sept 23: The Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh announced restoration of internet services throughout the state from Saturday morning after about four months.
The internet services were suspended in the state from May 23 in the wake of the communal clashes in the state. Except “whitelisted” mobile phone numbers approved by the government, data services remained suspended on other mobile phones continuously for over 140 days from May 4, a day after the outbreak of violence.
The government was of the view that anti-social elements would misuse the facilities to spread fake news and videos to stoke communal tension. There had been several instances of such misuses in the past. The suspension of the internet facilities had affected all sections of people including media persons. When some Public Interest Litigations were filed, the High Court of Manipur had directed the State government to restore the services partially.
(Manas Dasgupta)