Stanford University study says internet shutdowns are extension of curfews to restrict public gatherings.

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir

A recent study has found that 47 percent of India’s internet shutdowns take place in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir state where unrest is often followed by curfews and restrictions by the government.

“Out of 36 states and union territories, these four regions (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and particularly the contested territory of Jammu and Kashmir) account for more than 75% of all recorded shutdown events in India (2012-17), while Jammu and Kashmir alone comprises about 47%,” the Stanford University study says.

The study “Of Blackouts and Bandhs: The Strategy and Structure of Disconnected Protest in India” asserts that in Kashmir region communication if often inaccessible several times a month.

“Blackout are thus perceived as ‘a logical extension of curfews’ and measures whose purpose is to inhibit public gatherings,” the study adds.

According to the study, the 2016 mass rebellion in Kashmir was responded by New Delhi with the longest network shutdown lasting 203 days.