Major internet shutdown in Kashmir owing to abrogation of Article 370, 35A
The imposition of Section 144 across Srinagar limits public assembly.
KASHMIR (Web Desk) – Major internet shutdown happened across parts of Kashmir today (August 5) owing to the growing military presence and curfew reportedly imposed by Indian forces after the Indian government ended special status of the Kashmir while scrapping articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution.
According to Netblocks, technical data show a disruption to access to India’s internet backbone as of 18:00 UTC Sunday, 4 August 2019 following earlier mobile data restrictions, consistent with past recorded internet internet shutdowns in the region.
Urgent: Severe internet disruption registered in #Srinagar, #Kashmir with backbone access largely severed by India from 18:00 UTC; information blackout poses immediate risk to safety and rights of individuals; incident ongoing #KeepItOn
— NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) August 4, 2019
https://t.co/ENx1iLc4nQ pic.twitter.com/jv0KMbp3CM
The telecommunication blackouts are understood to be related to the imposition of Section 144 across Srinagar which limits public assembly.
Although short of a total information blackout, data show the fall of connectivity to 9% of nominal levels in Srinagar, as well as registering significant disruptions in surrounding regions.
Earlier in the day, sources reported widespread confusion and chaos as people queued up for fuel and supplies.
The disruption is raising concerns for the safety and wellbeing of residents as well as posing a threat to the fundamental human rights of free expression and free assembly.
Hoping sanity will prevail. Keep the services functional, Internet and mobile networks on. Stay Safe #Kashmir #KashmirUnderThreat @netblocks @accessnow
— Nighat Dad (@nighatdad) August 4, 2019
The telecommunication blackout continues amid troop deployments and curfews as India announced plans to revoke Article 370, a constitutional provision that grants special status allowing Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws:
Update: Real-time network data show Internet remains cut in #Srinagar, #Kashmir over 12 hours after access was shut down on Sunday, as India imposes curfew and deploys troops; incident ongoing
— NetBlocks.org (@netblocks) August 5, 2019
https://t.co/ENx1iLc4nQ pic.twitter.com/ClXxuJLDq8
NetBlocks diffscans, which map the entire IP address space of a country in real time, show internet outages corresponding to connectivity disruptions.
Purposeful internet outages generally have a distinct network pattern used by NetBlocks to determine and attribute the root cause of an outage, a process known as attribution which follows detection and classification stages.
NetBlocks is a civil society group working at the intersection of digital rights, cyber-security and internet governance. Independent and non-partisan.
Earlier today, amid escalating tension in occupied Kashmir following deployment of tens of thousands of additional troops, the Indian government ended special status of the valley while scrapping articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution.
In a malicious attempt to turn Muslim majority into minority in occupied Kashmir, the Indian president has signed a four-point amendment decree in this regard.
According to details, the announcement was made by Indian Home Minister Amit Shah during his address in Rajya Sabha, upper house of Indian parliament. Shah said, “Kashmir will no longer be a state. It will be divided into two union territories – Kashmir, which will have a legislature, and Ladakh, which will be without a legislature."
He also told that the valley would be re-organized geographically.”
The revocation of the articles has allowed other non-Muslim Indian citizens to buy land in the valley while a separate legislative assembly will be established there for its own laws.
