Govt Temporarily Blocks 177 Social Media Accounts, Web Links Related To Farmers' Protest: Report

The farmers were set to begin their march again on Wednesday from two points on the Punjab-Haryana border after the failure of four rounds of talks with the Centre over a legal guarantee on MSP.

Farmers during their 'Delhi Chalo' protest march, at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border. ( Image Source :PTI Images )

The government on Tuesday took a step to maintain law and order by issuing temporary blocking orders for approximately 177 social media accounts and web links associated with the ongoing farmers' protest, as reported by news agency PTI, citing sources.

Orders to block these accounts and links were issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on February 14 and 19, responding to a request from the Ministry of Home Affairs under section 69A of the IT Act.

"The orders have been issued to temporarily block 177 social media accounts and web links to maintain law and order on request of the Ministry of Home Affairs," the source told PTI.

These blocked links and accounts span various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and others. The report indicates that these accounts can be reinstated once the farmers' agitation concludes.

In another development related to the farmers' protest, Haryana Police has reportedly urged their counterparts in Punjab to seize bulldozers allegedly brought by protesting farmers from Punjab as they plan to resume their 'Delhi Chalo' march from the interstate border, according to PTI.

Despite being over 200 km away from Delhi, the Delhi Police conducted drills on Tuesday to secure the heavily barricaded entry points to prevent any breach.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court orally advised the Punjab government not to permit large gatherings of farmers, stating that tractor-trolleys cannot operate on highways according to the Motor Vehicles Act. The court suggested that farmers use buses or public transport to travel to Delhi.

The farmers, who initiated their march on February 13, were halted at the Haryana border and clashed with security forces. They have been stationed at the Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab's border with Haryana since then.

The recent round of talks between farmers and the government concluded on Sunday, with a government proposal to buy five crops at the minimum support price (MSP) for five years through central agencies. However, the proposal was rejected by the protest leaders, including Jagjit Singh Dallewal from Samyukta Kisan Morcha.

Ahead of the resumption of the 'Delhi Chalo' march, Sarwan Singh Pandher, a leader of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, called on the Centre to convene a day-long Parliament session to legislate on the MSP for crops.

Delhi Police is reportedly prepared to prevent the entry of protesters into the city, conducting mock security drills. Traffic congestion around the city's three border points is anticipated due to road closures, with Tikri and Singhu borders heavily secured and the possibility of shutting down the Ghazipur border if needed.

Amid these developments, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha expressed support for farmer leaders rejecting the Centre's MSP proposal, viewing it as a positive step towards fostering unity among farmers nationwide. The organization called on farmer groups to participate in mass protests in BJP-NDA MPs' constituencies on Wednesday.