India forced to return internet services to some Kashmiris by Supreme Court
Credit: (Deccan Chronicle/Google Images)
Written by: Saada Shaikh
After a five-month suspension of internet services, the Indian government returned partial services to the region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Services are limited to hospitals, banks, government offices, and tourism companies. The Indian government ordered for these institutions to be strictly monitored.
The administration blocked access to websites not included in a “white list”, mainly comprised of government websites. Access to social media and messaging services are still prohibited.
Broadband was returned to some regions of Muslim-majority Kashmir, while 2G mobile internet returned to five regions of Hindu-majority Jammu. The ban is still intact in all other regions of Jammu and Kashmir.
Supreme Court rules against the BJP
The internet ban was partially lifted after the Supreme Court of India declared it illegal last week, stating it was unconstitutional and lead to an abuse of power.
The court ordered for the social media ban to be reviewed next week.
While adequate public services returned to some parts of the region, critics said the government “only partially met” the demands of the Supreme Court to lift the suspension.
“The government has not completely lifted the curbs on the internet and this is not in line with the court verdict,” said Anuradha Basin, an Indian journalist. “The spirit of the judgment is that internet connectivity has to be absolute.” Basin petitioned the Supreme Court to lift the ban.
The situation in Kashmir
Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, was stripped of internet access in August, after the Indian government stripped the region’s status as an autonomous state and split it into two territories.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) implemented direct control, sent troops to enforce curfews, and banned internet and mobile services.
The administration said it was to stop terrorists from entering Indian territory, limit “anti-national” behaviour, and prevent the spread of fake news. Social media was banned to stop the rise of potentially violent protests in response to Kashmir losing its special status.
Major disruptions took place during the 150 days of no internet. College admissions, tax returns, and public services ground to a halt. Kashmir’s economy lost more than $1 billion.
The removal of Kashmir’s special status and internet ban are among several of Modi’s new policies that critics said were anti-Muslim. Since his Hindu-nationalist party was reelected last year, hostility towards Muslims sparked religion-based discrimination across the country. Last decade, 90 per cent of religious hate crimes took place since Modi became PM in 2014.
Growing unrest over Modi’s policies sent the country into a whirlwind of protests and shutdowns. Last year, India became the world’s leading country in internet bans, according to the BBC.
More Articles