According to the latest reports India has blocked the internet services around New Dehli Since Monday morning, several districts of a state bordering India’s capital following violent weekend clashes between police and farmers protesting controversial agricultural reforms. Online access would be suspended in at least 14 of 22 districts in Haryana state near New Delhi, until 5 p.m. Monday, according to the Department of Information and Public Relations of Haryana on Sunday.
That order was first imposed Tuesday in three Haryana districts for 24 hours but has been extended every day since. A 48-hour internet shutdown was also imposed in three other areas around Delhi’s borders late on Friday, with India’s Ministry of Home Affairs saying the move was “in the interest of maintaining public safety and averting public emergency.”According to officials, those blackouts should have lifted on Sunday night, but Paramjeet Singh Katyal, a spokesperson for Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body representing protesting farmers, said the internet was still not working as of Monday.
The internet restrictions came after violent scenes last week as demonstrations continue against three agricultural laws passed in September. Since late November, hundreds of thousands of protesters have gathered on the outskirts of New Delhi to demonstrate against changes they say they weren’t consulted on and which will hurt their livelihoods.
On Tuesday last week — a national holiday is known as Republic Day that marks the anniversary of the enactment of the country’s constitution — thousands of protesters stormed New Delhi’s historic Red Fort as police used tear gas and batons against the demonstrators. Dozens of officers were injured and one protester died when a tractor overturned during the protests near Delhi police headquarters, police said Wednesday. More than 100 protesters are still missing, Samyukta Kisan Morcha said Sunday. An internet shutdown was also imposed in areas around New Delhi from midday to midnight on Tuesday.
Darshan Pal, a leader from Samyukta Kisan Morcha, condemned the internet shutdowns, calling the moves “undemocratic”. The government does not want the real facts to reach protesting farmers, nor their peaceful conduct to reach the world,” Pal said in a statement Sunday. “It wants to spread its false spin around farmers. It is also fearful of the coordinated work of the farmers’ unions across different protest sites and is trying to cut off communication means between them.”Nevertheless, farmers are still joining the protests, Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s Katyal said Monday. “Typically these village groups work against each other but this time they have all united for the collective fight,” Katyal said. Additional deputy commissioner of police in Delhi, Jeetendra Meena, said police had deployed more forces at the border in case any protests break out Monday.
Web Desk is the news author at Research Snipers which mainly covers Pak News, Technology News, Business News, and Entertainment served by Research Snipers Staff and editors.
