SRINAGAR, Sept 21: Cellular services and internet facility have been restored after 5 hours of disruption in Kashmir, where curfew-like restrictions are in place after fears of violent protests over the US-made anti-Islam film denouncing the Prophet Muhammad.
Authorities feared protest demonstrations could turn violent and disrupt peace in the Himalayan region, where a 23-year-old armed rebellion is subsiding.
Cellular networks were jammed early Friday afternoon.
Private internet service providers had suspended service on Thursday midnight after the state’s home department asked them to ensure that the blasphemous film ‘Innocence of Muslims’ was inaccessible to people.
However, the state-owned BSNL barred its internet service today.
Sources say security agencies have directed cellular service providers to bar all networks following some intelligence reports of “violent protest demonstrations”.
Protests against the US-made film, which shows the Prophet of Islam in poor light, are refusing to die down across the Muslim world.
In Kashmir region, a curfew like situation exists across all major towns of valley, including capital Srinagar as authorities want to take no chances with the law and order situation.
A mass public uprising in 2010 was triggered by the death of a teenager after police fired teargas at protesters in downtown Srinagar.
The months-long uprising was sustained by a series of protests over subsequent deaths in police or paramilitary firing at mourners.
