As farmers held a three-hour chakka jam protest against the Centre’s frequent suspension of internet at protest sites, heavy police barricading and the three new agriculture laws, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Saturday snapped internet services again at Delhi’s borders for 24 hours.
The 24-hour internet suspension began at midnight on Friday and was to end at 11.59pm on Saturday.
The suspension of internet services was announced in the interest of “maintaining public safety and averting public emergency”, the order issued on February 5 said. Singhu, Ghazipur, Tikri borders and surrounding areas came under the purview of this suspension order.
The MHA ordered the first suspension of internet services amid the ongoing protest on January 26, when the farmers’ tractor march led to a violent stand-off between protesters and Delhi Police.
A group of protesters who entered the Capital deviated from the pre-agreed route of their tractor march and entered the Red Fort. Since then, there have been regular suspensions of internet services in the Capital’s border areas.
Saturday’s three-hour chakka jam, in which state and national highways across the country were blocked between 12 noon and 3pm, except in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, was in protest against these internet suspensions, among other things.
{{/usCountry}}Saturday’s three-hour chakka jam, in which state and national highways across the country were blocked between 12 noon and 3pm, except in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, was in protest against these internet suspensions, among other things.
{{/usCountry}}Similar orders blocking internet services had been passed in Haryana as well — after January 26.
The service disruption as well as the months-long protests in the national capital and surrounding areas have drawn the attention of the international media while global celebrities such as pop star Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg, on their social media accounts, extended support to the farmers’ protest.
Since the three-hour chakka jam was the protesters’ first major event after the Republic Day march, the Centre, Delhi Police and Haryana Police stepped up security measures. Union home minister Amit Shah met Delhi Police commissioner SN Shrivastava and national security adviser Ajit Doval on February 4 to review the security situation ahead of the event.