In view of public safety and to prevent potential misuse of such services for unlawful activities, the District Administration has ordered mandating the immediate suspension of all Virtual Private Network (VPN) services across the district for a period of two months in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The directive, issued by District Magistrate Abhishek Sharma, under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, follows a communication from the Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri reporting unprecedented and suspicious use of VPN services in various areas of the district.
The 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.
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.
In the interest of maintaining law and order, the District Magistrate deemed it imperative to take preventive steps to safeguard sensitive information and ensure public safety.
The Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, has been directed to ensure strict implementation of the order in letter and spirit.
