Jammu and Kashmir had 3 instances of Internet shutdowns due to protests in 2024
| Photo Credit: NISSAR AHMAD;NISSAR AHMAD –
Globally, there were 88 Internet shutdowns due to communal violence in 2023 and 2024 and all of them were in India. In fact, nearly 95% of all Internet shutdowns ordered by the state due to communal violence since 2018 have occurred in India, says a report by Access Now, a digital advocacy group.
Chart 1 shows the number of Internet shutdowns in India due to communal violence and India’s share in global shutdowns for the same reason. In 2023 and 2024, most of these shutdowns occurred in Manipur (54 instances), followed by Bihar (9), and Haryana (7) (Chart 2).
Chart 2 | The chart shows State-wise breakdown of internet shutdowns due to communal violence in 2023 and 2024
In 2024, there were 41 Internet shutdowns due to protests — the highest in the last seven years. India accounted for about 57% of global Internet shutdowns due to protests in 2024 — the highest for any country (Chart 3).
Manipur also featured first among the States where a shutdown was imposed in 2024 due to protests, followed by Haryana and Punjab. Jammu and Kashmir had 3 instances of Internet shutdowns due to protests in 2024 and Rajasthan and Maharashtra experienced 2 each (Chart 4).
Chart 5 shows the share of Internet shutdowns in India by reason since 2016.
In 2024, over 50% of shutdowns were due to protests. In 2023, over 50% of shutdowns were due to communal violence. In 2021 and 2022, political instability was the main reason.
An Internet shutdown can be either a complete restriction, cutting off all access, or a partial curb, limiting only specific services such as social media platforms. These shutdowns may be imposed at varying levels, affecting an entire state or targeting specific districts within a region.
Source: Access Now. Also includes The Hindu’s calculations.
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Published – March 01, 2025 07:00 am IST