Jammu, June 30 (IANS) SMS services were blocked in entire Jammu and Kashmir Wednesday, a day after it was stopped in north Kashmir, an official said.

‘We received a communique from the home department of the state government to block SMS services across Jammu and Kashmir. We have acted accordingly,’ a service provider told IANS.

On Tuesday, the government blocked SMS services in north Kashmir.

The services were blocked after protesters, who were angered by the killings in firing by police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Valley, defied curfew and attempted to damage religious places.

The SMS services have been blocked to prevent the ‘anti-national and vested interests from spreading trouble. The SMS services were being misused’, a government official said.

Eight youths have been killed over the past 15 days in mob violence in the state.

In 2008 too the state government suspended the SMS services during the Amarnath land row agitation.

Again in 2009 the ministry of home affairs blocked pre-paid mobile services for more than two months.