What’s the news: Two simultaneous incidents of mobile internet service suspensions were reported in Manipur and Kashmir on August 7. While a five-day internet shutdown was announced in Manipur in face of tribal protests, Kashmir’s Srinagar authorities suspended internet during Muharram.
Why it matters: Access Now, a digital rights advocacy group, said that India recorded the highest number of internet shutdowns for four consecutive years by 2021. While government authorities state that such measures regain public order, the suspension of internet services cuts off people’s contact to the rest of the world. This makes it difficult for affected citizens to gain relief and for the media to understand the situation on the ground.
Srinagar loses internet during Muharram: On the same day that Manipur authorities declared internet suspension, the Jammu and Kashmir government also suspended mobile internet services in Lal Chowk and other parts of state capital Srinagar.
Earlier, the city traffic police announced that the Muharram-ul-Harram procession would be disallowed as per orders from the District Magistrate. People were warned of “multiple cut-offs” across the city to prevent people’s movement towards the City Centre. Particularly, the officials barred movement on M.A. Road and R.R. Road except in case of medical emergencies. Moreover, while the traffic advisory circular did not mention internet shutdowns, multiple netizen accounts and news reports talked about how mobile internet services were suspended.
India Govt have banned Muharram Processsion. Internet Snapped & Curfew imposed in parts of srinagar.#Kashmir pic.twitter.com/6Akj2OYG5c
— Sehrish Asgar (@AsgarSehrish) August 7, 2022
Despite these restrictions, people continued to move about in the city on Sunday as per a video shared by city police on Twitter. Visuals on social media showed heavy contingent of armed forces patrolling restricted areas.
Paying no heed to Bandh Call, all shops are open and it is absolutely normal in Srinagar District. These visuals are from Lal Chowk area. pic.twitter.com/xPkZDgtpwo
— Srinagar Police (@SrinagarPolice) August 5, 2022
Restrictions in Srinagar city areas to thwart Muharram processions pic.twitter.com/ovAGsP540W
— Basit Zargar (باسط) (@basiitzargar) August 7, 2022
Mourners can be seen being dragged away by the police. Angered netizens started a ‘No Religious Freedom in IIOJK’ hashtag to condemn the ‘violation of Kashmiri Muslims’ religious freedom.’
#NoReligiousFreedomInIIOJK
India has snatched basic rights including religious freedom of Kashmiris in IHK, several mourners were detained after they defied ban imposed on Muharram Procession in Srinagar city pic.twitter.com/2y2I2Djd4S— Manzoor Ahmad Dar (@ManzoorZia) August 8, 2022
The Internet has been shut down and restrictions have been imposed in Srinagar. In Kashmir, the Indian state has made the lives of Muslims hell. The tyrannical state of the RSS allows only pro-India rallies and yatras in Kashmir. Kashmir belongs to Muslims, not Hindus.#Muharram pic.twitter.com/L6pH8XJ4Oh
— Bint-E-Kashmir (@BintEKashmir13) August 7, 2022
Are internet shutdowns a new normal in the Valley? Suspension of internet services has become a common phenomenon in India’s northern-most state since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. As per the Access Now report, there were at least 85 incidents of internet shutdown in 2021 in the state. The state government called most of these shutdowns part of “counterterrorism” measures. Still, these measures forced the Valley residents to spend months with irregular internet.
In fact, the state’s 551-days of internet suspension from August 5, 2019 to February 5, 2021 ranks as one of the longest internet shutdowns in 2021. The report estimated that the state witnessed more such shutdowns than anywhere else on Earth in that year.
Tribal youths protest in Manipur: As per a notice issued by the Manipur Home department, internet was suspended in the state following a report that three to four youths allegedly set fire to a vehicle at Phougakchao Ikhai Awang Leikai along the Tiddim Road NH-02.
The news came at a time when members of the All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur (ATSUM) were engaged in an indefinite economic blockade along all national highways in the hill districts, said The Hindu. For a region surrounded by hills and cut-off from the rest of the state, these highways are the main route for transport of goods and essentials.
According to the newspaper, the students demanded that the state government table the Manipur Autonomous District Council (Amendment) Bill, 2021 “for greater financial and administrative autonomy for development” of tribal-inhabited hill areas to put them on a par with non-tribal dominated valleys. Around 30 students and two policemen sustained injuries on August 6 amidst student demands for the release of ATSUM leaders.
However, following incidents of alleged arson – at NH-02 and another at Churachandpur as per an Indian Express report – H. Gyan Prakash, Special Security (Home), issued an order to suspend internet for five days. In the notice, he talked about anti-social elements’ use of social media “extensively for transmission of images, hate speech and hate video messages inciting the passions of the public.”
“The social media has become a handy tool for rumour mongers and is being used to incite general public which might have serious repercussions for the law and order situation in the State,” he said.
Citing danger to life and property, he called for “stopping the spread of disinformation and false rumours, through various social media platform such as WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. on mobile phone and SMS.”
Shortly after, districts like Ukhrul and Churachandpur imposed Section 144 for two months. After the internet suspension was announced locals reached out to family members outside the state to obtain basic information such as rain predictions in parts of the region.
Internet banned for 5 days in my wonderful home state. With one switch, complete digital economy — online retailers, digital payments, e-governance — comes to a halt. Everyone suffers. #Manipur pic.twitter.com/0q0XvqmDfi
— Angellica Aribam (@AngellicAribam) August 7, 2022
Bordoloi writes to Centre: Reacting to this news, Nowgong, Assam MP Pradyut Bordoloi wrote to Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Communications, about the rising incidence of internet shutdowns in India.
“Internet shutdowns cannot be justified as a solution to law and order challenges – it is a disproportionate, collective punishment that violates human rights and is unacceptable in any democratic society and particularly in an age of digital economy,” wrote Bordoloi in his letter.
He further pointed out the central government’s continued failure to provide state-wise data on the number of internet shutdowns. As such, he asked about government intentions to create and maintain a centralised repository of data across India and to frame legislations to regulate internet shutdowns.
In light of the recent suspension of internet services in Manipur, and the larger trend of internet shutdowns in the country, I have written to the Hon’ble Minister for Communications @AshwiniVaishnaw raising this issue & seeking his intervention 👇@INCNEIndia @internetfreedom pic.twitter.com/RZJExNcRFD
— Pradyut Bordoloi (@pradyutbordoloi) August 8, 2022
Manipur too is used to internet shutdowns: It is worth noting that like Jammu and Kashmir, the border state Manipur too has faced prolonged internet shutdown in the past. In 2019, the Manipur government imposed a state-wide internet suspension amidst protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2018 – now an Act. Citizens were unable to use mobile internet services from February 12 up to February 16.
Similarly, Praveen Singh, District Magistrate for Imphal West Naorem, barred cable news channels from “transmission of agitation or protest” indefinitely “until further orders.” All of this was again done in the name of maintaining law and order when youths across the country had risen in protest of the law.
Even in 2018, internet services were suspended for five days in July following protests demanding removal of the Manipur University Vice-Chancellor Adya Prasad Pandey for his alleged role in financial irregularities and administrative mismanagement. Later, internet was suspended for six days in September due to another agitation in the University.
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