NEW DELHI, Aug 31 (DHNS) : The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday lifted the ban on bulk SMSes and MMSes that was imposed about a fortnight ago to check spread of rumours which triggered an exodus of people of North-Eastern states from Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune.
An MHA spokesman said that the restriction was lifted as the panic triggered by the rumours subsided over the past few days.

The government had, on August 17, imposed a ban on sending more than five SMSes and more than 20 KB of data through mobile phones. The daily limit of SMSes for each subscriber was subsequently raised to 20. The restriction was imposed after SMSes and MMSes containing misleading information, morphed pictures and doctored videos about recent violence in Assam as well as threats to people of North-Eastern origin living in other places in the country were widely circulated.

The messages prompted thousands of panic-stricken North-Easterners to flee from metropolises in southern and western states and go back home. 

Though the mobile service providers implemented the government’s directive to cap the number of SMSes, the Cellular Operators Association of India had expressed concern over loss of revenue caused by the restrictions.

The operators pointed out that the fortnight-long restriction on SMSes might mean seven to eight per cent revenue loss for them.