Manipur: Mobile internet ban extended till Oct 16, frustration mounts

Imphal: The Manipur government on Wednesday extended the suspension of mobile data internet services for five days till October 16 evening, an official notification said.

Orders issued by secretariat, home department, said the decision was taken "to thwart the activities and designs of anti-national and anti-social elements and to maintain the peace and communal harmony and to prevent loss of life" and that "it has become necessary to take adequate measures to maintain law and order in public interest, by stopping the spread of disinformation and rumours through various social media platforms."

Mobile internet was banned after violence broke out in the state on May 3. It was restored on September 23 following an announcement by Chief Minister N Biren Singh. However, it was again banned on September 26 after public agitation hit Imphal valley after photographs of bodies of two missing students went viral.

The ban on broadband since May 5 was, however, partially lifted in mid-July.

Meanwhile, frustration continues to mount over the prolonged mobile internet suspension with a Senapati district-based Naga students body imposing highway blockade over the issue since October 5.

"We firmly believe that access to internet is not just a privilege but a fundamental right that every citizen should enjoy without interruption. The continuous imposition of ban on mobile internet services across the entire state, even when the issues (violence) are confined to specific areas, is not only unjustifiable but also infringes upon our basic rights as citizens of a free state," the Senapati District Students Association had informed.

"Throughout the state, students and teachers who were used to facilities and academic-related communication provided by the internet have been abruptly cut short. The number of Wifi users is very limited and is sort of a luxury which thousands cannot afford," a high school math teacher A Hitler said.

"Broadband is available mostly among the affluent section of capital Imphal and district headquarters areas. What about thousands who are not from the capital and from far off villages and hill areas and those who can't afford Wifi," asked a concerned citizen from Naga-dominated Ukhrul district.