The government on Friday extended the mobile internet shutdown in and around the Jantar Mantar protest site in Delhi until 12 midnight, and directed telecom service providers (TSPs) to suspend mobile internet services within a 1.5 km radius of the protest venue. The latest extension marks the sixth internet shutdown order issued in the region in the past five days.
The first lockdown order was issued on July 20, directing telecom operators, including Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, to suspend mobile internet services from 10 am to 6 pm in parts of central Delhi around Jantar Mantar. This was followed by a second order on July 22, cutting off internet access from 6pm until 6am the next morning.
The third order was on Thursday to extend the suspension from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A fourth order was issued later on Thursday extending the lockdown period from 4.30pm to 12am, people in the telecom industry learned.
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On Friday morning, the government again suspended mobile Internet service until noon, and later issued the sixth order, directing telecom companies to block mobile Internet until midnight.
Among the areas affected by the orders are Janpath Market near Connaught Place, Le Meridien, Shangri-La Hotel, National Media Center and the office of the Women’s Press Corps of India.
The frequent shutdowns of the Internet forced many protesters to search for alternative ways to communicate. Some have turned to applications such as Bitchat Mesh, which do not rely on mobile Internet. Instead, the app creates a Bluetooth-based network that connects nearby users, allowing messages to be exchanged without an Internet connection.
The absence of mobile Internet did not disrupt the organization of the protest. Volunteers on the ground coordinated to distribute drinking water, food and medicine to those present, while others used hand fans to help the demonstrators cope with the extreme heat and humidity.
