New Delhi: Internet services were suspended in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur on Monday (May 29) after the Gurjar community took out a march despite prohibitory orders being in place.

The Gurjar community's ‘gaurav yatra’ in honour of King Mihir Bhoj Pratihar had been opposed by the Rajput community, PTI reported. In order to avoid any confrontation between the two groups, the administration had denied the march permission.

“There were talks about a ‘gaurav yatra’ by members of the Gurjar community for a long time. No procession based on caste should be taken out in Saharanpur as CrPC section 144 is imposed here. Despite no permission for the procession, it was taken out,” district magistrate Dinesh Chandra said, according to PTI.

Internet services were then reportedly suspended as a precautionary measure.

Police reportedly stopped Samajwadi Party MLA from Meerut’s Sardhana assembly constituency Atul Pradhan in Baghpat while he was on his way to Saharanpur to attend a Gurjar community panchayat. Pradhan was sent back to Meerut.

“After casting my vote in the MLC bypolls in Lucknow, I came to Delhi by flight and was going to Saharanpur. There were only three people in the vehicle. At Gaurimorh, we were detained by Baghpat police. This is a dictatorship. They want to forcibly stop us,” Pradhan said, according to PTI.

India has become known for enforcing internet shutdowns on a regular basis. In 2022, for the fifth consecutive year, India was the country with the highest number of internet shutdowns.

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