For the fourth year in a row, India has earned the notoriety for imposing the most internet shutdowns with 106 such instances recorded in 2021. The previous three years have seen 109, 134 and 121 blocks respectively which is something a self-professed democracy cannot be proud about. Not surprisingly J&K bore the brunt of this government ‘largesse’ with 85 incidents of disruption in the wake of abrogation of Article 370. The sarkar turns off internet services majorly for stifling dissent or any kind of online protest against its policies and actions. The most recent example was the attempt to suppress the farmers’ protest and press reporting on government atrocities. Thankfully despite the interruptions, the government was not able to conceal its violent crackdown on dissent and lawful protest. There is another more damaging angle to internet switch offs -- criminal hindering of online education, especially for children in distant areas. Covid has shown that ‘work from home’ and ‘online learning ‘ are now the only way forward given the pandemic’s persistence. By shutting down the internet, the insecure sarkar is doing a great disservice to the economy and the education sector much to its own peril.
