The Ladakh administration has restricted circulation of messages by netizens on social media platforms and reserved rights only for the admin of groups.
Sachin Kumar Vaishya, district magistrate of Leh, in an order said no person should forward any message having potential to cause panic on any social media group such as Facebook, WhatsApp etc.
“Each social media group admin shall continue message uploading status only from today (September 2) till October 1. Any violation of these instructions will lead to strict action under relevant provisions and penal action as mandated under the law shall be taken against the individual(s) as well as the group admin,” reads the order, issued on September 2.
The move comes after the Ladakh administration noticed “irresponsible messages which can hurt regional and religious sentiments.”
“These messages have huge potential to create panic among the general masses, may promote enmity between various groups and may cause law and order problems in Leh,” the order reads.
The Ladakh administration’s move assumes significance as the Indian and Chinese armies were eyeball-to-eyeball in the region. It will help control rumour-mongering on the border issues too, an official source said.
