Topline
More than 27 million residents of the north Indian state of Punjab faced a third straight day without access to mobile internet or text messaging on Monday, after a state government order blocked the services as police search for a controversial separatist preacher.
India’s Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel patrol along a street during a hunt for Sikh separatist, … [+]
Key Facts
The shutdown, ordered by the government of Punjab on Saturday, has been extended multiple times from its initial 24-hour run on Saturday and will remain until noon Tuesday.
The shutdown was enacted under an Indian law that allows national or state government officials to order temporary suspensions during a public emergency.
It comes after Punjab police launched a manhunt to arrest Amritpal Singh, a controversial Sikh preacher with alleged links to the Khalistani separatist movement which seeks to establish a separate homeland for Sikh people.
Both government and police officials defended the shutdown, claiming it is used to prevent public unrest and the spread of rumors, misinformation and fake news.
Multiple videos and live streams of Singh and his supporters being chased by Punjab police were reportedly shared by the preacher’s followers on Twitter and Facebook before the internet ban was ordered on Saturday afternoon.
Crucial Quote
Nikhil Pahwa, the founder of Indian tech policy outlet, Medianama, told Forbes: “An internet shutdown essentially is a suspension of the fundamental rights of citizens…It’s really worrying how governments don’t take this seriously.” He added: “The reasonable cause for internet shutdowns…would be public order. But that has to be based on an assessment that there is clear and present danger to life and liberty of citizens and there is a rational nexus between that…and the internet functioning.”
Big Number
552 days. That is the length of India’s longest internet shutdown, imposed on the state of Jammu and Kashmir between August 2019 and February 2021, according to a tracker run by the Software Freedom Law Centre of India. This shutdown was undertaken as part of a broader controversial crackdown on the state by the Indian federal government after it rolled back Kashmir’s special autonomous status, arrested local political leaders and enforced a military lockdown.
Key Background
Indian government officials have come under criticism from internet and free speech activists for their heavy-handed use of internet shutdowns in the event of a public emergency. According to the digital rights group Access Now, in 2022 India saw more internet shutdowns than any other country in the world with 84, followed by 22 in war-torn Ukraine and 18 in protest-hit Iran. This was the fifth consecutive year India topped their chart on internet shutdowns. Indian government officials have argued these shutdowns help prevent the spread of misinformation that can lead to a worsening of law and order. But several internet experts have argued that such a move can be counterintuitive as it also limits access to trustworthy news sources and causes major economic disruption.
Further Reading
Indian officials cut internet for 27 million people amid search for fugitive (Washington Post)
Punjab police step up search for Sikh separatist preacher (BBC)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/03/20/indian-state-blocks-internet-and-text-messaging-for-27-million-residents-heres-why/