Imphal, June 23, 2023 (PPI-OT): Internet shutdown in the violence-hit Indian state of Manipur has completed 50 days. Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a New Delhi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) that advocates for digital rights and liberties, in a statement expressed deep concern over the “indefinite” character that the Manipur internet shutdown has acquired.

Internet was cut off in the state on May 3 after the escalation of ethnic violence during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organised to protest against the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. The shutdown has been extended through multiple government orders since then.

As per the IFF’s statement, only mobile data services were initially suspended in Manipur. However, since the second day of the shutdown on May 4, a blanket suspension of all internet services has been imposed. The IFF has also raised concerns over the Twitter accounts being censored and withheld in India ‘under a legal demand’. There are no legal Orders or demands in this regard, depriving individuals of knowledge regarding the reasons for censorship and the opportunity to legally challenge it.

The IFF’s statement said, secrecy in online censorship and bans, which is a continuing administrative practice, undermines individuals’ fundamental rights to expression and the collective fundamental right to receive information. It is to mention here that the former chief executive officer (CEO) of Twitter Jack Dorsey recently said that the Indian government threatened to shut down the social media network completely in India. He said, this was in response to the demands made by the Union government to suspend the accounts of journalists critical of the government during the time of farmers’ protests.

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