Regional shutdown
Jammu and Kashmir
Internet services were suspended in the Samboora area of Awantipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on 27 September 2020. It is believed to be imposed under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code, which allows the government to impose curfews and other restrictions to maintain public order.
Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country or other countries.
- Total Duration 1 day
India
- Population
- 1,463,865,525
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Local impact
Internet services were suspended in the Samboora area of Awantipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on 27 September 2020. It is believed to be imposed under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code, which allows the government to impose curfews and other restrictions to maintain public order.
Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country or other countries.
Related documentation
In 2020, the Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir issued Government Order No. 104(TSTS) of 2020. This directive mandated the continuation of mobile data throttling to 2G speeds and strictly enforced the "whitelist" of approved websites while maintaining the total ban on social media platforms.
Other supporting information
It’s difficult to measure the effect of local/regional Internet shutdowns as most measurements are done at a country level. Learn more
Social media
Thank you #ArundhatiRoy for explaining how the threat posed to Indian democracy by emboldened Hindu nationalism + internet shutdown, information siege in #Kashmir, and India's new citizenship laws, discriminate against Muslims and marginalized communities https://t.co/72bmrV3c9n — Justice for All Canada (@justiceforallcn) September 29, 2020
We asked them to: A. Provide us with copies of the internet shutdown orders based on which the specific shutdowns took place. 5/n — Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) September 28, 2020