Guwahati: Internet services in several districts of West Bengal will be suspended to prevent suspected unlawful activities during the secondary examinations in the state and to stop question paper leaks on WhatsApp or other means.
The mobile internet and broadband services will remain temporarily suspended in the few blocks of Malda, Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Birbhum and Darjeeling districts between 11 am to 3:15 pm on Monday, March 7, to Wednesday, March 9.
The suspension will continue on March 11, March 12, and from March 14 to March 16.
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It may be mentioned that around 11.2 lakh students will sit for the secondary exams in West Bengal from Monday.
They will appear for offline examinations across 4,194 centres across the state.
The state government in a statement said, “Intelligence reports have been received that Internet transmissions and voice over internet telephony may be used for unlawful activities in certain areas over the next few days…Examination of the information received gives reason to believe that such unlawful activities are likely to occur in the absence of preventive measures.”
However, there will be no restrictions on voice calls and SMS and on newspapers.
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The order further added, “Any data related message or class of messages to or from any person or class of persons relating to any particular subject, brought for transmission by or transmitted or received by any telegraph within the ambit of the India Telegraph Act, 1885, shall temporarily not be transmitted in the interest of maintaining public order and preventing incitement to the commission of any offence within the jurisdiction of the Block/Police Stations listed in the Annexure.”