In what is seen as a knee-jerk reaction to the violence that took place in Jammu and Kashmir over the last few days, the state government has ordered all WhatsApp groups running "news" should be registered,

"The Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, directed the operators of social media news agencies to obtain proper permission from the concerned Deputy Commissioners for posting news on social media news groups, along with sources," said a government press release on Monday.

It is not clear how the government would differentiate "news" groups from informal WhatsApp groups. If it manages to pull this off, Mehbooba Mufti's government would be be the first in the country to issue a registration certificate to run a WhatsApp group.

The statement warned the government will act against those who do not comply. The move comes after the Handwara incident in which five people were killed in clashes with security forces over the alleged molestation of a girl.

The decision to gag media platform is not new in the Valley. In 2010, Omar Abdullah's government banned content from local cable channels for "fomenting trouble" by running "unverified" news reports.

The news on close monitoring of social media activity took the netizens by surprise, with many ridiculing the move as "curfew on social media".