India blocks social media in Kashmir in wake of abuse videos
The government said the restrictions were made ‘in the interest of maintenance of public order’
India has ordered internet service providers in Indian-controlled Kashmir to block Facebook, Twitter and 20 other social media sites and online applications for one month, after several videos and photos depicting alleged abuses of Kashmiris by Indian security forces sparked outrage and fuelled protests.
The government said the restrictions ordered on Wednesday were made “in the interest of maintenance of public order”. But Pranesh Prakash, policy director for the Indian advocacy group the Centre for Internet and Society, called it a “blow to freedom of speech” and “legally unprecedented in India”.
“It not only violates the Indian constitution but also violates international law,” he said.
The government has often halted internet service in the region in the past in an attempt to prevent anti-India demonstrations from being organised. But this is the first time authorities have shut down social media following the circulation of videos of alleged abuse by Indian soldiers.
Several recent clips, captured in the days surrounding a violence-plagued local election April 9, have proven to be especially powerful and have helped to intensify anti-India protests.
One video shows a stone-throwing teenage boy being shot by a soldier from a few meters [yards] away. Another shows soldiers making a group of young men, held inside an armoured vehicle, shout profanities against Pakistan while a soldier kicks and slaps them with a stick. The video pans to a young boy’s bleeding face as he cries. Yet another clip shows three soldiers holding a teenage boy down with their boots and beating him on his back.