The high-speed internet continues to be banned across Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019. The ban is being reviewed by the officials on fortnightly basis and extended. The order being issued usually starts with this line: “…certain restrictions have been placed on access to high mobile data connectivity to curb uploading/ downloading/circulation of provocative videos and defeat the nefarious designs of the forces within and from across the border to create a narrative by running a disinformation campaign.”
The latest read: “The apprehensions of the law enforcement agencies regarding misuse of high speed mobile data services for infiltration and for coordinating (militant) activities get credence from the investigation of ongoing cases and recent incident of interception of militant and recoveries of arms and ammunition, with increased activity on the IB/LOC.”
This frequent internet outage has given Jammu and Kashmir a dubious distinction of being the only place on earth that has so much of restriction on a basic service for such a long time. The Times of India recently reported, “India lost $2.8 billion due to internet shutdowns in 2020”. India has also topped the list of 21 countries with the internet shutdown of 8,927 hours in 2020.
This story is from the January 17 - 23, 2021 edition of Kashmir Life.
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This story is from the January 17 - 23, 2021 edition of Kashmir Life.
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