(Image source from: newsnation.in)

The communication blockade in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir was imposed to internet shutdown on August 4th when Article 370 of the constitution was passed which has not been lifted since then.

After the Citizenship Amendment Bill that has been passed which excludes Muslims for considering as citizens where as all the non-Muslim communities from the three neighbouring countries who have been facing religious prosecutions there will be given Indian citizenship and not be treated as illegal immigrants, violent protests erupted in the north-east Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. With the ongoing protests, there is no debate in India being world’s ‘internet shutdown capital’.

The number of internet shutdown networks in India was tracked to be 134 in 2018. Most of the Internet shutdowns in India have been either imposed to curb violence or to control the spread of violence once it is broken out. But the government used the Internet shutdowns to make it harder for the people to organize protests, to end the discussion about the issue in social media.

According to the data drawn by the internetshutdowns.in, India has witnessed 91 shut downs until now . India has registered 363 internet shutdowns in 2012 and in 2016, the state Jammu and Kashmir has been registered as the longest internet shutdown as the internet services have been shutdown for 133 days in Jammu and Kashmir. The period between July 8 and November 16 in 2016, experienced suspended web services after the Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani has been encountered. However, the mobile internet services for postpaid users on November 19 and for prepaid users were made available in January 2017. This portrays that the internet shutdown was faced for almost six months, as reported by the shutdown tracker website.

The Indian government has been restricting the internet access since 2010 but the duration, the geographical area, the frequency has been increasing gradually since then. The internet shutdown is being used to curb the freedom of speech.

Currently, the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are experiencing internet shutdown since August 4, 2019 with sms services being resumed recently. In addition, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripua, Arunachal Pradesh, parts of West Bengal and three cities of western Uttar Pradesh are experiencing internet shutdowns.

By Shrithika Kushangi