Internet shutdown in Manipur has been extended till June 10. Amid frequent sporadic incidents of violence in the state, the Manipur government has extended the suspension of internet services for the seventh time to stop the spread of rumors and videos, photos and messages. Extending the suspension of internet services till June 10, Home Commissioner H. Gyan Prakash said in a new notification that Manipur’s Director General of Police informed that incidents like arson in houses and premises are still being reported.
The order said that there is apprehension that some anti-social elements may use social media extensively for broadcasting indecent video messages to inflame the passion of the public which may lead to further deterioration of the law and order situation in the state.
Let us tell you that after the ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was called by the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur to protest the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category, widespread violence broke out on May 3 in 11 out of 16 districts. After this, as a precautionary measure, the Manipur government blocked the internet to control the situation.
People are facing a shortage of essential commodities, transportation fuel, cooking gas and life-saving medicines, disruptions in banking and online services have thrown normal life out of gear in the state for more than a month as continued sporadic violence Internet is down for a long time. Travel agencies, internet-based services, online booking, media, students and the business community are facing a lot of problems due to the absence of internet services.
Various organizations, including the Congress, have been demanding immediate restoration of internet service in Manipur. Last week, Chongtham Victor Singh, a lawyer at the Manipur High Court, filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the repeated internet shutdowns in Manipur. The petition states that even when the government claimed that the state was returning to normalcy, it continued to suspend internet services.