Jammu District Administration Issues Strict Social Media Regulations to Maintain Communal Harmony
Jammu, April 17, 2026:-The District Magistrate of Jammu, Dr. Rakesh Minhas, has issued a comprehensive prohibitory order aimed at curbing the misuse of social media platforms and maintaining public tranquility across the region. Exercising powers under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, the administration has introduced immediate restrictions on the dissemination of provocative, false, and inciting content.
This move comes as a response to the identified threat of inflammatory posts, morphed images, and fabricated videos that have the potential to disturb communal harmony and endanger lives and property within the ethnically and religiously diverse district.
Under the new directives, residents are strictly prohibited from posting, sharing, or forwarding any content that promotes enmity or hatred between different communities on grounds of religion, race, caste, or language.
The order specifically targets the creation of misleading information designed to incite riots or violence, as well as the circulation of out-of-context media intended to inflame religious passions.
Furthermore, using digital platforms to call for boycotts or organize unlawful assemblies aimed at harming specific groups is now a punishable offense.
The administration has emphasized that these restrictions apply to all major platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, X, Instagram, and Telegram.The order outlines a rigorous legal framework for enforcement, invoking several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and the Information Technology Act.
Violations related to promoting enmity can lead to imprisonment for up to three years, while acts endangering the sovereignty and integrity of India can carry a sentence of up to seven years or life imprisonment. Group administrators and moderators of social media communities have been placed under a specific mandate of “joint responsibility,” meaning they may be held liable if they fail to act against prohibited content circulating within their groups.
To ensure strict compliance, a multi-layered monitoring system has been established. The Cyber Crime Unit of Jammu is tasked with 24/7 surveillance of digital platforms to identify and report prohibited content in real-time.
Additionally, Special Social Media Monitoring Cells have been constituted at the sub-divisional level to provide grassroots oversight.
Social media intermediaries and tech companies have also been directed to expeditiously follow takedown notices issued by the district administration, failing which they may lose their legal “safe-harbour” protections and face civil or criminal liability.
Citizens have been directed to verify all information through official and credible sources before sharing any sensitive news.
The administration has identified the official social media handles of the District Administration and Police as the authoritative sources during sensitive situations.
Any person receiving inciting content is instructed not to forward it and instead report the matter to the nearest police station or the designated cyber crime helpline. This order is set to remain in force for a period of 60 days unless it is modified or revoked earlier by the authorities.