Regional shutdown
Mobile Internet Services
West Bengal
West Bengal authorities ordered local Internet Service Providers to suspend mobile Internet and voice-over-Internet services in five Gram Panchayat areas (Sainthia, Hatora Gram Panchayat (GP), Mathpalsa GP, Harisara GP, Dariyapur GP, and Fulur GP) following recent violence.
- Total Duration 3 days
India
- Population
- 1,463,865,525
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Local impact
The four-day shutdown came into effect on 14 March and is reported to end on 17 March at 8:00 local time.
"Any data related message or class of message to or from any person or class of persons, to or from any telecommunication equipment or class of telecommunication equipment, or relating to any particular subject, brought for transmission by, or transmitted or received by any telecommunication service or telecommunication network under the ambit of Telecommunications Act, 2023, shall temporarily not be transmitted in the interest of maintaining public order and preventing incitement to the commission of any offence," the order issued by Home and Hill Affairs Department Principal Secretary stated.
Related documentation
Birbhum, West Bengal | Internet and voice-over-Internet telephony services have been suspended in at least five Gram Panchayat areas of Sainthia town in West Bengal's Birbhum district to prevent the spread of rumours and unlawful activities, officials said on Friday. The shutdown… pic.twitter.com/B7m5PgJRSY
— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2025
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