Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

To Prevent Protests Against An Anti-Muslim Law, India’s Government Turned Off The Internet In Its Capital City

A controversial law has drawn thousands to the streets -and a harsh response from the Modi government.

Millions of mobile phones in New Delhi, India’s capital, went dead on Thursday after the city’s police department ordered the country’s largest carriers to stop voice, text, and internet services in the wake of massive protests against a controversial new citizenship law that discriminates against Muslims.

Local, state, and national authorities regularly shut down the internet in India during times of unrest -96 times this year, according to the Software Freedom Law Center, a digital advocacy group that has tracked internet shutdowns in the country since 2012. The Indian region of Kashmir has been cut off since August after India’s government revoked its autonomous legal status, and dozens of districts in five Indian states have been plunged into digital darkness in the last few days as protests have spread. But Thursday was the first time that India’s capital, home to the country’s Parliament, saw its mobile services being revoked.


A copy of the police department order, reviewed by BuzzFeed News and sent to all major carriers in Delhi, commanded them to halt “voice, SMS & internet” services “in view of the prevailing law and order situation.” It also provided a list of neighborhoods to which the carriers were ordered to stop service.

The shutdown came amid nationwide protests against an act that India’s Hindu nationalist government passed last week, which makes getting Indian citizenship easier for immigrants who practice all major South Asian religions except Islam. In addition to mobile phones, Indian authorities tried to clamp down on the protests by banning large gatherings, detaining thousands of people, including prominent liberal intellectuals, and periodically closing off dozens of train stations in New Delhi.

Airtel and Vodafone, two of India’s largest carriers, tweeted that they were complying with the government directive after customers in Delhi started to complain on Thursday morning.


They deleted the tweets shortly after. Jio, India’s third major carrier, sent text messages to affected users in Delhi saying that internet services had been stopped “till further notice.” Normal service had resumed for most people by Thursday evening.

Airtel and Vodafone declined to comment. A Jio spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson from India’s Home Ministry, the federal department in charge of national security, did not respond to a request for comment.

More than half a billion Indians use the internet, most of them from internet-enabled smartphones. Authorities have justified cutting off access in the past by saying that it helps to prevent the spread of rumors and misinformation, but shutting down the internet also makes dissenting and organizing protests harder.

“It’s really concerning that the capital city of the largest democracy in the world has shut the internet down and cut off its citizens from communicating,” said Mishi Choudhary, a technology lawyer and founder of the SFLC, in a statement. “This is unprecedented and could have an irreversible and detrimental impact on India’s aspiration to become a digital leader.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×