Govt bans bulk messages
18 Aug 2012 6:07 AM IST
To check the spread of rumours which has led to the exodus of Northeastern people from certain states, the government has banned from Friday bulk SMSes and MMSes across the country. 'We have banned bulk SMSes and MMSes for 15 days,' the union home secretary R K Singh said.
The decision was taken after reports of widespread circulation of SMSes and MMSes containing misleading information about the Assam violence, threats to people of Northeastern origin living in other parts of the country and doctored videos.
The home ministry has asked the Department of Telecommunications to implement the order through the telecom operators.
From Friday onwards, no one will be able to send more than five text messages in one go and more than 20 KB of data through mobile phones during the period of the ban. The ban came into force after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that spread of rumours by miscreants had led to people belonging to the Northeast to flee from Bangalore, Pune and some other parts of the country.
Noting that the guilty should be brought to book, the prime minister said that at stake was not just unity and integrity of the country, but also communal harmony. 'Any miscreant fanning rumours should be brought to book,' he said.
The decision was taken after reports of widespread circulation of SMSes and MMSes containing misleading information about the Assam violence, threats to people of Northeastern origin living in other parts of the country and doctored videos.
The home ministry has asked the Department of Telecommunications to implement the order through the telecom operators.
From Friday onwards, no one will be able to send more than five text messages in one go and more than 20 KB of data through mobile phones during the period of the ban. The ban came into force after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that spread of rumours by miscreants had led to people belonging to the Northeast to flee from Bangalore, Pune and some other parts of the country.
Noting that the guilty should be brought to book, the prime minister said that at stake was not just unity and integrity of the country, but also communal harmony. 'Any miscreant fanning rumours should be brought to book,' he said.
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