Mobile Internet Restored in Jammu After Block Over Beef Rumour Fears

Jammu: Mobile internet services have been restored in Jammu after they were blocked earlier in the day citing fear of misuse of social media to stir trouble over the beef controversy, police said.

This morning, several BJP lawmakers beat up an Independent legislator Engineer Rashid in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly this morning, for hosting a beef party on Wednesday.

Gagan Bhagat, Rajeev Sharma, Ravinder Raina and two other lawmakers pounced on Engineer Rashid and started thrashing him before proceedings began; lawmakers of the opposition National Conference had to intervene.

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has condemned the assault, saying, "You cannot manhandle an MLA." He asked Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh of the BJP - which partners the Mufti's Peoples Democratic Party or PDP in governing J&K - to "accept the mistake."

Last month the state government had banned Internet services for three days across the state just before the Eid festival, fearing trouble over a court ordering the police to strictly enforce a beef ban.

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The court ruling has triggered protests across the state and sources said the administration feared the use of social media and messaging to stir protests.