On February 6, farmers protesting against the three agricultural laws of the Center, did a three-hour ‘flywheel-jam’ across the country. During this time no road in the capital Delhi was blocked. However, leaving Delhi, the impact of ‘Chakka-Jam’ was seen in many other places. But now the internet has been affected on the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders of Delhi. The central government has once again suspended the internet on these three borders. However, now this case has gone to the Supreme Court. A petition has been filed in the court against Internet suspension.
The Union Home Ministry has ordered suspension of internet at the Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders. News agency PTI quoted officials as saying that the internet has been shut down till the night of 6 February. This is not the first time the internet has been blocked on all three borders.
The process of stopping the internet started with the tractor parade
Farmers protesting against agricultural laws took out a tractor parade on the occasion of Republic Day on 26 January. The farmers and the Delhi Police negotiated among themselves and set three avenues for this parade. However, on January 26, some farmers broke off from the fixed paths and entered Delhi.
Some protesters reached the Red Fort during this entire parade. On a pole in the Red Fort complex, flag marks of Sikhs were also hoisted to Sahib.
After this development, the central government had decided to suspend internet in many areas of Delhi-NCR. After this, the internet of all the three borders and surrounding areas was suspended from 11 am to 11 pm on 29 January.
Officials said that this decision has been taken under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules 2017 to ‘maintain public safety and avoid public emergency’.
Ban was extended for two days
Even before the internet suspension ended at 11 pm on January 31, the central government had again increased the internet ban under these rules. This time the internet was closed till 11 pm on 2 February.
Earlier, during the demonstrations against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019, the central government suspended the internet under these rules on 19 and 20 December.
Internet closed in two districts of Haryana
On 5 February, the Haryana government had extended the ban on mobile internet service, SMS service and all dongle service till 6 February in Sonepat and Jhajjar districts. More farmers from Punjab and Haryana have joined the farmers’ movement. Apart from this, the demonstration site of the farmers also falls near the Haryana border.
The state government initially suspended internet in about 17 districts. Later these restrictions were imposed only in five districts – Kaithal, Jind, Rohtak, Sonipat and Jhajjar. Now Internet and SMS services are disrupted in only two districts, which are close to the Singhu and Tikari borders.
Under which rule is it banned?
Rules for suspending the internet were made in 2017. They come under the Indian Telegraph Act 1885.
Under these rules, the Union Home Secretary and the Home Secretary of the states have the power to give instructions to suspend telecom services. This is done for ‘any public emergency or public safety’.
The case reached the Supreme Court
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court to restore mobile internet service in Delhi and Haryana. In this petition, an appeal has been made to instruct the government to restore service.
According to NDTV’s report, the petition has been filed by two lawyers Sanpreet Singh Ajmani and Pushpinder Singh. It said that shutting down the Internet is ‘violation of fundamental rights’.
The petition said, “In the Jammu and Kashmir case, the Supreme Court has declared Internet access as part of the fundamental right.” It said that by shutting down the Internet, the government is preventing farmers and journalists from bringing the true picture to the country.
