Kashmir Will Pass Legislation Criminalizing Peace-Disrupting Online Content.
Legislative measures are imminent in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to the police, to forbid the dissemination of online material that “promotes separatism, incites religious violence, or disrupts peace.” Kashmir Will Pass Legislation Criminalizing Peace-Disrupting Online Content.
Director General of Police Rashmi Ranjan Swain told reporters in Jammu on Thursday, “We have decided to temporarily enact a law under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code that criminalizes the dissemination of audio, video, and text messages that disrupt communal harmony or attempt to intimidate people, whether by separatist or malicious elements.”
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When it is anticipated that a hazardous event will transpire, Section 144 is invoked. While the scope is broad, its primary application is to prohibit assemblies consisting of four individuals or more.
He stated that sharing or disseminating such content will be considered a criminal offense, and those responsible will be held accountable in accordance with the law.
Following the arrest of a non-local engineering student for posting blasphemous remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, the final and preeminent prophet of Islam, which infuriated some religious organizations, the police chief made his remark.
In anticipation of potential unrest, the administration of the National Institute of Engineering (NIT) in Srinagar, the capital, canceled winter breaks and instructed students to vacate dorms.
A myriad of students hailing from different regions of India attend this engineering institution, and historical records indicate that disputes between indigenous and foreign students have occurred on account of a variety of factors.
Disputed area
Kashmir, a Himalayan region inhabited primarily by Muslims, is partial territory claimed by both India and Pakistan. China also possesses a slight portion of Kashmir.
Three conflicts have broken out between the two nations since their partition in 1947: in 1968, 1965, and 1971. Two were in the vicinity of Kashmir.
Furthermore, intermittent hostilities have ensued between Indian and Pakistani forces in the Siachen glacier region of northern Kashmir since 1984. In 2003, a cease-fire was entered into force.
Some Kashmiri factions in Jammu and Kashmir have fought for independence or unification with neighboring Pakistan against Indian rule.
Thousands of individuals have purportedly perished in the region’s conflict since 1989, according to a number of human rights organizations.
