The Indian government on Tuesday asked internet service providers to block 55 Facebook pages related to Afzal Guru, who has become an icon of Kashmir freedom after his execution.
The notice by the Indian Department of Telecom (DoT) was issued a day before internet services were restored in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) after remaining suspended for a week following Guru’s hanging.
It was on the same day, that the notice ordering ISPs to block 73 web pages with content relating to a private management college, Indian Institute of Planning and Management, was issued.
Afzal Guru, convicted for his alleged role in the December 2001 parliament attack, was hanged earlier this month. His hanging set off a spate of protests in Kashmir despite a week-long curfew in IHK.
The list of 55 Facebook pages includes several support groups and fan pages for Afzal Guru in addition to a profile page of a Bahraini journalist and the Facebook page of a Kashmiri news portal.
A spokesman of the Indian DoT could not say who had requested for these pages to be blocked. Group coordinator on cyber laws, Gulshan Rai, who is authorised to send out block notices to ISPs could not be reached for comment.
The notice was not made public. The IT Rules introduced in 2009 prohibit disclosure about processes involved in blocking of internet sites.
Delhi-based lawyer Apar Gupta said the move seemed to be “calculated” since it came just before restoration of internet services in IHK.
“Legally speaking, some of the pages for which the block has been called speak of avenging Guru’s death. However, the notice does not specify the reasons why the block has been ordered.