Police in J&K have invoked the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act to register a case against people using social media through proxy servers by getting past Internet firewalls.

The FIR was filed a day after a video of the ailing Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani was uploaded on social media by different users.

“Taking serious note of misuse of social media, the Cyber Police Station, Kashmir Zone, Srinagar has registered a Case FIR against various social media users who defied the Government orders and misused social media platforms,” police said in a statement.

“The FIR has been registered while taking cognizance of social media posts by miscreants by use of different VPNs, which are propagating rumours with regard to the current security scenario of the Kashmir valley, propagating secessionist ideology and glorifying terror acts/terrorists,” it said.

The J&K government restored Internet service in the Valley after shutting it down for six months, but only whitelisted sites can be accessed. The government has banned the use of social media and peer-to-peer applications. On February 14, a government order reiterated the ban on all social media sites.

The FIR, registered under sections 13 of UAPA, 188, 505 of IPC and 66-A (b) of IT Act, is the first against use of social media after the ban.

“There have been continuous reports of misuse of social media sites by miscreants to propagate secessionist ideology and to promote unlawful activities. Social media has remained a favourite tool which largely provides anonymity to the user and also gives wide reach,” the police statement said. “Lot of incriminating material has also been seized in this regard,” it said.

INDIAN EXPRESS