VPN services suspended in Rajouri, Poonch districts

Authorities in Rajouri and Poonch have ordered an immediate two-month suspension of all Virtual Private Network (VPN) services in the border districts, citing public safety and potential misuse of such platforms for unlawful activities.

In Rajouri, District Magistrate Abhishek Sharma passed the directive under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), following a communication by police, an official said. Rajouri Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Sikarwar, in his letter, reported unprecedented and suspicious use of VPN services in various areas of the district.

Sharma’s order highlights concerns that VPNs, by masking IP addresses, bypassing website blocks and firewalls, and transmitting encrypted data, are being used by a significant number of suspicious internet users, the official said.

“Such activities have the potential to be exploited for anti-national purposes including spreading inflammatory content, coordinating activities prejudicial to public order, and posing cyber-security threats,” the district magistrate said.

Meanwhile, the authorities in Poonch also ordered suspension of all virtual private network services in the district. “The order shall apply to all individuals, institutions, cyber cafes and internet service providers operating in the district, and anyone found violating it shall be punishable under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” Poonch District Magistrate Ashok Kumar Sharma said.