In Indian Kashmir, social media becomes a battleground

Srinagar : An unprecedented ban on Whatsapp, Facebook and Twitter in Indian Kashmir has highlighted social media's role in energising an insurgency that has roiled the disputed Himalayan region for decades.

Authorities in the Kashmir valley this week ordered internet service providers to block 15 social media services for at least one month, saying they were being misused by "anti-national and anti-social elements".

The move followed an upsurge in violence in the region, where authorities say social media are being used to mobilise stone-throwing protesters behind increasingly frequent civilian attacks on government forces.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the predominantly Muslim Kashmir valley, one of the world's most heavily militarised spots, where most people favour independence or a merger with Pakistan.

One senior police officer said the power of social media to mobilise large groups of civilians was "worrying the security forces much more than the armed militants".

"Social media is misused to mobilise youth during anti-militant operations," said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces in Indian Kashmir for decades.

But the violent civilian protests, which often mobilise around the anti-militant operations conducted by government forces, are a relatively new phenomenon.

The local government already frequently blocks mobile internet services in the volatile Kashmir valley, but it is the first time they have banned specific social media services in the interests of public order.

The Kashmir valley has been tense since April 9, when eight people were killed by police and paramilitaries during election day violence.

Since then, students angered by a police attempt to detain suspected protest ringleaders on college grounds have held regular demonstrations, frequently clashing with police.

Kashmir's tech-savvy young -- 70 percent of the population is under 35 -- have increasingly turned to social media to express their anger as well as to mobilise demonstrations.

"If they (the government) take away our means of communication and protest we will keep finding new ones," said Asim, a university student who gave only his first name.

Political scientist Noor Ahmed Baba told AFP the conflict was now "playing out in the social media space".

"The present government wants to silence the people. The violence of suppression will generate more violence," said Baba, a political scientist with the University of Kashmir.