India
Internet services were suspended in Pusesawali village in Maharashtra’s Satara district for four days after local authorities imposed a curfew under Section 144 following communal violence in the village on 9 September 2023.
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.
It’s difficult to measure the effect of local/regional Internet shutdowns as most measurements are done at a country level.
Using blunt internet shutdown, causing public inconvenience in the name of law & order, spread of misinformation isn’t how administrations tackle adverse situations. Most fact-checking takes place on the internet itself. Sadly Satara bureaucracy lacks basic #digitalmedialiteracy.
— Sanchita Sairang-Kshatriya (@press_sanchita) September 14, 2023
#SataraViolence | After five days of beefed-up police security and over 72-hours of internet shutdown across Satara district in western #Maharashtra, the district administration said that “peace has finally been restored”. | @sukanyashantha
— The Wire (@thewire_in) September 15, 2023
Maharashtra: 1 dead in Satara village violence over online post; Net curbs in district – Times of India