As Manipur is currently in the grips of violence between tribals and the majority Meitei community, internet services including mobile internet, have been suspended for five days across the state with immediate effect to prevent disturbance of peace and public order, a Home department order said. Internet rights group Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has called on authorities to reconsider these internet suspension orders in compliance with the applicable laws.
"While these orders have claimed that “some anti-social elements” are using social media as “a handy tool” to “incite [the] general public”, and issued these orders for “stopping the spread of disinformation and false rumours” and to prevent “mobilization of mobs,” there is no evidence to suggest that internet shutdowns help in preventing misinformation or instances of violence," IFF said in a statement.
On May 3, the Commissioner (Home) of the Manipur state government, issued an order under Rule 2 of Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017 suspending mobile data services across the state for next five days. This was then followed by an order on May 4, 2023, extending the suspension to broadband services as well for a further period of five days. Similar orders were issued on April 27, 2023, which suspended internet services in two districts of Manipur for five days.
"As a result of the successive operation of all of these orders, residents of Manipur will be left without access to the internet for over ten nearly continuous days," they said.
Highlighting that internet shutdowns also have an immense negative impact on economic and professional activities including journalism, e-commerce and healthcare, IFF referred to the Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India judgment wherein the Supreme Court of India held that the freedom of speech over the internet and the freedom to carry out one’s trade or profession via the medium of the internet is a fundamental right, and must be accorded the protection of the Constitution.
For the fifth year in a row, India has topped the global list of internet shutdowns in 2022 out of all democracies, according to a report released by international digital rights organisation Access Now in collaboration with the #KeepItOn coalition.
The report revealed that India implemented at least 84 shutdowns in 2022, which is the most by any country in the year.
The most recent internet shutdown was in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj after the death of gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother. Odisha's Sambalpur too witnessed a complete ban on internet services following incidents of violence during the Hanuman Jayanti rally.
