Poor mobile connectivity, digital repression plague IIOJK residents
Move reflects India’s plan to isolate Kashmiris from each other, outside world
#DigitalRepressionInIIOJK
Srinagar: Internet and mobile services continue to remain severely disrupted across Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leaving residents cut off from essential communication and public services.
According to Kashmir Media Service, since the revocation of IIOJK’s special status in August 2019, authorities have intensified digital surveillance, throttled mobile internet speeds, and imposed repeated communication blackouts. Journalists, human rights activists, and ordinary citizens face arrests for posting online, while social media accounts are systematically monitored and censored.
Subscribers in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district reported erratic voice calls and intermittent internet service, forcing residents to travel outside their villages for a single mobile connection. Students said lack of internet access has disrupted online learning, and locals are urging immediate intervention by district authorities to resolve persistent connectivity failures.
Observers note that the digital restrictions are part of a wider crackdown on freedom of expression. Routine checking of mobile phones, monitoring of social media, and censorship of mainstream media have become tools of intimidation, aimed at silencing dissent and suppressing legitimate political expression under the pretext of “security.”
Residents said the communication blackouts, combined with pervasive digital surveillance, reflect India’s broader strategy to isolate Kashmiris from each other and from the outside world, controlling information flow and stifling dissent. Analysts warned that despite the Modi regime’s attempts to conceal ground realities through repression, Kashmiris continue to assert their rights and remain resilient in the face of digital oppression.
