Internet shutdown - only solution for Manipur's govt ?

Jr Amo *

As one of the largest democratic nation in the world, it is indeed very sad and really regrettable that the general populace in the states of Northeast - especially in Manipur, are often subjected to undue interference from the State Government as far as connectivity / internet services are concerned, when it comes to a prolong agitation against the ruling government on one issue or the other.

This is not the first time that internet connection has been suspended in Manipur state, it has become a habit for the government, when ever the people launched a series of agitations, against the government, the Administration would shutdown the internet services, in fear of the People's movement getting a limelight attention

Why do the Administration always have to shutdown internet when there's a protest or agitation arising against the government!!??

On a larger view, we have seen numbers and numbers of protests in and abroad, people coming out in the streets, vandalizing properties, so many other forms of protests, but, in a democratic nation the government doesn't sit idle and just shutdown the internet. It has to find it's own way, how to resolve the crisis in it's own state.

Apart from shutting down of internet, didn't the government know alternate measures to tackle the situations that we are facing commonly - the suspension of internet services in response to a people movement?

This time around, the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 getting its larger objection from sisters of the Northeast states, banning of internet connection was again imposed in the state of Manipur. And, it is learnt that internet users couldn't access their internet connections from the midnight 11th of February, 2019 and till February 16, 2019. Undeniably internet connection hasbecome a very important tool for our daily communications.

Shutting down of net connections without prior information for the public has been frequent. Is this the only measure the government can take to resolve protests and as preventive measure? What major role and impact does it have when internet connections are shut down for the whole state?

I would like to mention here the "hills" and "valley" region of Manipur - cause, there's no protests or agitations going on in the hills which could breach the law and order situation in its own particular area. But, why the government has to shutdown all internet connections inside the state? Also taking us back to 2018 when the Manipur University crisis was there for a month long, protests and agitations were on a large scale in the valley.

But, why it resorted has to complete shutdown of internet all over the state of Manipur? We now live in a society where our daily basic needs have included internet bankings, transactions of thousands and thousands of different currencies, online shopping, marketing and so many other things. It is also one's own fundamental rights, to have the right to access of internet anytime, anywhere.

And, this current generation we lived in has been sometimes termed as an Information Age, what saddens me more here is while the PM of India declares "Digital India" we have been frequently restricted from the digital world. What more contradiction can we have other than this? Banning and restrictions of Internet also specifically shows how insecured and unstable the government is for it's own people.

Looking at Manipur's neighbouring state of Assam - the most and heavily agitated area in the CAB 2016, even from the nook and corner of the state, everyone out there was protesting tooth and nail, we've seen people from all sections of society coming together in one form against the CAB 2016. They're leading the protest in all spheres.

But, there's a big BUT - we haven't heard anything from the government of Assam like it's sister state here in Manipur, shutting the people's internet connection for no reasonable point. It can be mentioned that whenever agitation arises in the state of Manipur, the state administration in no doubt will cut off internets. Sometimes a day or two, or a sometimes a week. Is this the only step that one state administration can take into account of dealing with protests and agitations?

Thousands of miles away from our state. Let's take a look at the socialist state of Venezuela, one of the largest humanitarian crisis, next to Syria. The people of this nation is facing a huge problem, an international human crisis, no food, water, edible items, daily needs and people are protesting the present Maduro government which has the army's back-up strength and the world is watching.

Streets filled with people protesting for a new government, fighting for their lives (daily needs). International sanctions are being blocked, and the fight for supremacy goes on while the hunger remains effortless. With turmoil and crisis on the rise, there's no internet ban, it has nothing to do with banning of internet.

But, here in Manipur, in a democratic nation, democratic state, when there's a protest, banning of internet is the main step the state administration would think of and do.

I would like to recall a very sad incident, immature and unethical arresting of a journalist last year - 2018. Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha, a journalist working for Imphal based ISTV news was arrested and jailed for freely expressing his opinion and criticising the present state government and central government, that is not restricted in a democratic nation, one can be a critic, one can share his opinion freely unless he's a threat for the government, or threat against law and order - security measures.

But why was a journalist arrested for sharing his opinion, for condemning the government? If one can't share his opinion and likes, unlikes or criticise the government, and gets arrested for his likes and opinion. Adding up to this, the state government has ordered local cable operators not to telecast protests relating with the present CAB 2016 protest. I'm afraid we're nearing a communist society in a democratic nation. And, I might get arrested tomorrow for writing this piece, mabye...!

In a modern age, in a digital world, let's be more reasonable and put more effort for the welfare of the people not by restricting them from the bigger world but by entertaining and maintaining normalcy without banning of internet connections. Let the government refrain itself from drastic measures of banning internet services in the future.