The suspension of internet services in Bareilly following the violence last Friday has been extended by one more day, officials said on Monday. The services will remain suspended till Tuesday midnight, an administration official here said, citing a government order. On Friday, police and locals clashed in the heart of the city over denial of permission for a demonstration in support of the ongoing 'I Love Muhammad' campaign. Police have filed 10 cases on rioting and other charges against 180 named individuals and 2,500 unnamed people. Around 40 people, including local cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan who allegedly called for the demonstration, were arrested on Saturday. Following the violence, the state home department on Saturday issued an order suspending SMS, mobile internet and broadband services of all service providers, according to the notification signed by Secretary, Home Department, Gaurav Dayal.
"Whereas messaging system like SMS and Whatsapp and social media system like Facebook and YouTube may be used extensively for the transmission of information like pictures, videos and text that have the potential to inflame passions and thus exacerbate the law and order situation," he had noted. The notification noted that the internet was suspended "in order to prevent the possible misuse of the above mentioned media and internet to disturb the peace and tranquillity of the entire district and create further law and order situation, and in order that normalcy may maintain".