Internet Control

Mobile internet services in Jabalpur city in Madhya Pradesh have been suspended as a “precautionary measure” to curb protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, Jabalpur deputy inspector general BS Chouhan told to MediaNama. The internet suspension order came from the district magistrate’s office, we were told.

Chouhan said that mobile internet services were suspended in the city at 9 am today, and are likely to be restored at 5 pm. “Thousands of people are expected to gather in one place during the protests, and the internet was suspended as a precautionary measure because of that,” Chouhan said. MediaNama has not seen a copy of the internet shutdown order yet.

The Supreme Court had earlier said that access to the internet is part of free speech: This internet shutdown order comes weeks after the Supreme Court had declared that the right to internet is also part of freedom of speech and expression, and an indefinite ban on the internet is an abuse of power.