Regional shutdown
Mobile Internet Services
Leh District, Ladakh
Local mobile Internet services were ordered to be suspended in the district of Leh on 5 April as part of the Ladakh administration imposed Section 144, which sought to ban public rallies ahead of the proposed ‘Pashmina March’. Organizers claim that 10,000 participants will join the event.
Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact citizens' ability 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 in other countries.
- Total Duration 1 day
India
- Population
- 1,438,069,596
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Local impact
Local mobile Internet services were ordered to be suspended in the district of Leh on 5 April as part of the Ladakh administration imposed Section 144, which sought to ban public rallies ahead of the proposed ‘Pashmina March’. Organizers claim that 10,000 participants will join the event.
Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact citizens' ability 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 in other countries.
Related documentation
Internet shutdown in Leh. What sort of democracy is this? Even though these protests in #Ladakh have been nothing but peaceful & despite multiple assurances from our leaders, they've shut down the internet. What is the Union govt so scared of? #PashminaMarch #LadakhProtest 1/N pic.twitter.com/N4TY9Z91ha — Rinchen Norbu (@Stonerollin123) April 5, 2024
Other supporting information
It’s difficult to measure the effect of local/regional Internet shutdowns as most measurements are done at a country level.
Social media
Internet has been banned in #Leh . We should be collectively outraged. pic.twitter.com/y7e7wFH2Dc
— namgay (@namgayzam) April 7, 2024
Sonam Wangchuk withdraws call for march to LAC, cites ‘suppression’ attempts, govt ‘overreaction’.Wangchuk said with the imposition of Section 144, curtailment of Internet and restrictions on movement, the UT administration had turned Leh “into a war-like zone with armed…
— Sunil Mehta (@kalki_007) April 7, 2024
Sonam Wangchuk withdraws call for march to LAC, cites ‘suppression’ attempts, govt ‘overreaction’.Wangchuk said with the imposition of Section 144, curtailment of Internet and restrictions on movement, the UT administration had turned Leh “into a war-like zone with armed…
— Sunil Mehta (@kalki_007) April 7, 2024
#Section144 imposed, mobile internet throttled in #Leh ahead of Sunday’s #PashminaBorderMarch pic.twitter.com/PW62PMfUhh
— Vision Ladakh (@VisionLadakh) April 6, 2024
Media coverage
Internet has been banned in #Leh . We should be collectively outraged. pic.twitter.com/y7e7wFH2Dc
— namgay (@namgayzam) April 7, 2024
Sonam Wangchuk withdraws call for march to LAC, cites ‘suppression’ attempts, govt ‘overreaction’.Wangchuk said with the imposition of Section 144, curtailment of Internet and restrictions on movement, the UT administration had turned Leh “into a war-like zone with armed…
— Sunil Mehta (@kalki_007) April 7, 2024
Sonam Wangchuk withdraws call for march to LAC, cites ‘suppression’ attempts, govt ‘overreaction’.Wangchuk said with the imposition of Section 144, curtailment of Internet and restrictions on movement, the UT administration had turned Leh “into a war-like zone with armed…
— Sunil Mehta (@kalki_007) April 7, 2024
#Section144 imposed, mobile internet throttled in #Leh ahead of Sunday’s #PashminaBorderMarch pic.twitter.com/PW62PMfUhh
— Vision Ladakh (@VisionLadakh) April 6, 2024