Regional shutdown
Mobile Internet, SMS
Haryana, Kurukshetra, Jind, Kaithal, Panipat, Karnal
Ahead of protests on 7 September 2021, the district administration of Karnal in Haryana ordered for mobile Internet and SMS services to be suspended for 24 hours in the adjoining districts of Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, and Panipat from half past midnight local time. While fixed-lines were unaffected, only 2 out of every 100 people in India have a fixed telephone subscription. 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 in other countries.
- Total Duration 23 hours
India
- Population
- 1,438,069,596
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Partly Free
Local impact
Ahead of protests on 7 September 2021, the district administration of Karnal in Haryana ordered for mobile Internet and SMS services to be suspended for 24 hours in the adjoining districts of Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, and Panipat from half past midnight local time. While fixed-lines were unaffected, only 2 out of every 100 people in India have a fixed telephone subscription. 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 in other countries.
Related documentation
Other supporting information
It’s difficult to measure the effect of local/regional Internet shutdowns as most measurements are done at a country level.