415 internet shutdowns in Jammu and Kashmir since 2012, shows data

40 shutdowns have been witnessed this year so far

Amidst Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, authorities suspended mobile Internet services on Tuesday in parts of Jammu and Rajouri districts.

According to PTI sources, mobile Internet services in the areas would remain suspended till 5 pm. It was done to prevent miscreants from creating an adverse law-and-order situation by misusing the services.

The home minister is on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, and he would be addressing a historic public rally in Rajouri district.

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The decision to suspend the mobile Internet service was part of the elaborate security arrangements made for the protection of the home minister, sources said.

India revoked the special status of its portion of Kashmir, known as Jammu and Kashmir, on August 5, 2019, in a bid to fully integrate its only Muslim-majority region with the rest of the country. Anticipating major unrest, authorities imposed a communications blackout, cutting off phone and internet connections.

The shutdown lasted until February 5, 2021, when 4G mobile data services were reinstated in the region. Slow-speed internet was restored a year earlier, but with limited access.

According to official data, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a total of 415 internet shutdowns between the years of 2012 and 2022.

There were 79 shutdowns in 2021, while 2020 recorded the highest in the last 10 years, with a total of 116 shutdowns in the disputed state.

There have already been 40 shutdowns in the region this year so far.

In terms of districts, Pulwama recorded the highest number of shutdowns in the past 10 years, with the internet being suspended in the district a total of 175 times. This was followed by Anantnag with 145, and Srinagar with 130.

(With agency inputs)