India Insights: Living Without the Internet in Jammu And Kashmir
Thomas Jensen
August 19, 2019, marked the first day of the year-long internet shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir. On the same day, the Indian government revoked Article 370, which granted special privileges to the state. Previously, J&K had its own constitution, flag and liberty to make new laws due to it being the only Muslim-majority state. But in 2019, it was divided between J&K and Ladakh, while its characterization as a state was removed and its constitution dissolved in order to assimilate it into the rest of the country. This led to a total communications lockdown, with internet, mobile phones and telephone lines being completely shut down. The government claimed that it was maintaining the sovereignty of the nation through the complete shutdown.
Five months later, the Supreme Court declared the internet as a fundamental right and commanded the immediate restoration of communications. However, 4G internet continued to be blocked till February 2021.
This was not the first time the internet was blocked in J&K. Between 2012 and 2016, the internet was shut down around 31 times in the region. In 2017, there was even a month-long suspension of social media apps to prevent “anti-government” elements from misusing them. While the internet shutdown ended in 2021, its consequences still shape debates surrounding digital rights in India. The country has had frequent obstructions to the internet, with 84 shutdowns in 2024, surpassed by Myanmar by only one shutdown. With the longest internet restrictions, Jammu and Kashmir stands as a reference point in understanding how communications blackouts impact daily lives and even obstruct democracy.
The Impact Of Communication Shutdown
All these hindrances to communication have resulted in the obstruction of the daily lives of Kashmiris. Since the beginning of the “Digital India” project in 2015, there has been emphasis on connectivity. Many governmental procedures, such as welfare schemes and food rations, have been moved online. Due to the lack of internet, people of J&K, especially marginalised communities, were obstructed from taking advantage of these programmes.
For example, people were unable to access the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) scheme, which guarantees 100 days of employment in rural areas, thus providing income security. This impacted their ability to receive these very important benefits, especially with the already limited access to the internet in rural areas.
Digital shutdown also harmed many lives in J&K. There were four WhatsApp groups that helped people access immediate health services, especially in the mountainous terrain of the region, which required long travel to reach anywhere. People were connected with specialised doctors outside of immediate geographical reach. But the internet shutdown in 2019 stopped all these communications, leading to a crash in patient care.
Moreover, the economy went down and innovation crashed, pushing a large number of young people to find new jobs. During the year-long internet ban, people would travel out of the state to carry out basic administrative procedures, register for exams and contact family. Many businesses did not survive without internet access, while people were completely shut off from their families. Lack of internet also had ramifications on journalism, as media figures were completely cut off from reporting events, especially during the revocation of Article 370. Many media houses shut down in the region, with people losing their jobs and their sources of income. This not only cut off Jammu and Kashmir from the outside world but also impacted the freedom of expression, a fundamental right in any democracy.
In the light of these events, India has become the most notorious for internet shutdowns, along with Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Algeria and Sudan. In contemporary times, the internet is important in a democracy for people to share information, organise protests and raise awareness. Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights emblematises the right to assembly and association, which are aided by the internet. Article 19 guarantees freedom of expression and the right to seek and impart information. Thus, any steps taken to hinder any of these go against humans’ basic rights. With so much of the world entering the digital age, any hindrance to people’s access subverts democracy, as it knocks down the very important pillars of freedom of expression and the liberty to organise protests in case of public dissent against unfair laws.
Human Rights Watch has documented that internet bans restrict essential activities and undermine democratic participation by impairing access to welfare services. Government authorities in India, however, justify digital blackouts as necessary measures to prevent violence emerging from rumours on social media. But the situation in Jammu and Kashmir demonstrates that such measures over a prolonged period of time exceed security concerns and start harming the daily lives of people. With the emphasis being placed on digital infrastructure for public services, denying the access to internet can hurt the citizenship of people. Jammu and Kashmir’s case demonstrates that democracy becomes fragile when the internet is treated as a privilege rather than a fundamental right.
