The Long-Running Internet Shutdown In Kashmir Is Putting People At The Risk Of CO.VID-19 Attack

Earlier this week, doctors in Kashmir were invited by the Health ministry to an online session on managing ventilators, which is a critical piece of equipment for treating CO.VID-19. However, most of them couldn’t attend the training session due to the long and ongoing curbs on internet connections that have prevented Kashmir residents from accessing info about the pandemic.

In August 2019, the central government stripped the Muslim of autonomy and statehood, which has put the region in a tense protest. To fight the protest, in January, authorities decided to impose one of the longest internet shutdowns in the world, which limits people in this state to 2G mobile connection.

Though several human rights groups have filed pleas to ease the restrictions, the government refused. As a result, most residents in Kashmir have been living with a lack of broadband connections.

According to the president of the main doctor's association in the state, Dr. Suhail Naik, it has been impossible to educate people about the symptoms of CO.VID-19, which is easily done in other parts of the country. He said:

“We want to educate people through videos, which is not possible at 2G speed. We are handicapped in the absence of high-speed Internet.”

The Internet Freedom Foundation sent a letter to officials, in which they wrote that internet speeds in the state is terribly insufficient, which has caused difficulties in spreading the message about fighting the pandemic. Besides, internet curbs have also made it impossible to home-school children amid the India lockdown.

According to Kashmir All Private School Association’s president G.N. Var, the organization prepared online classes for 650,000 kids but was not able to make the classes accessible for them. He specifically said:

“We are unable to connect with the students due to Internet connectivity. It is 2G and they are unable to download study material. I fail to understand why they aren't restoring high-speed Internet. Earlier, they had an excuse of law and order problems, but now there is curfew and fear of coronavirus and no one would dare to come out.”

Meanwhile, Vasudha Gupta, the home ministry spokeswoman, which is behind the policy in the state, refused to comment on the matter.

Despite what’s happened here, we still can’t figure what they reasons they have to make life even more difficult for people here while the entire country is already fighting tooth and nail against this global pandemic. And we don’t know if the government even cares.

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