Image used for representation purpose only.
| Photo Credit: Getty Image/iStockphoto
The authorities have suspended all virtual private network (VPN) services in Poonch and Rajouri districts of the Jammu division for the next two months.
In two separate orders, the administrations of the two districts, which are close to the Line of Control (LoC), declared the suspension of VPNs, through public notifications. In the latest order on Sunday (November 30, 2025), Ashok Kumar Sharma, Magistrate, Poonch, said the suspension was ordered under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) with immediate effect.
“The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) informed that there has been an unprecedented high usage of VPNs in the past few days at different locations of the district by suspicious internet users,” Mr. Sharma said in the order.
Poonch is a district close to the LoC in the Pir Panjal valley, comprising Rajouri and Poonch districts. Earlier, a similar order was issued by the Rajouri administration.
Threat of cyber attack
The police had apprised the district administrations of how VPN transmit gets encrypted and creates a point-to-point tunnel, masks IP addresses, and sidesteps website blocks and firewalls on the internet, thus making sensitive data vulnerable to cyber attacks.
“Adversaries can use VPN service to create an atmosphere of fear in view of the prevailing situation,” Mr. Sharma said.
The move was aimed at “strengthening the surveillance capabilities and ensuring public safety”. The authorities urged residents to cooperate with the security measures and underlined that the decision was taken in the interest of maintaining law and order in the region.
Published – November 30, 2025 09:29 pm IST
