Citizenship Act Protests: Internet Shutdown in Aligarh, Meerut, West Bengal And Assam

The internet services on mobile and wired connections have been suspended in Aligarh, Meerut as well as the Malda, Murshidabad, Howrah, North 24 Parganas and parts of South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal, it is being reported, in the wake of protests against the amended Citizenship Act. This comes after the internet shutdown in the states of Assam and Meghalaya has been extended by another 24 hours, which means internet services in the state will now remain unavailable till tomorrow. The internet shutdown comes after protests in these parts of the country turned violent. There have been continued protests and demonstrations in universities in Delhi, Aligarh, Hyderabad and Kolkata over the past few hours.

A letter from the district magistrate of Aligarh that has been shared on Twitter by Internetshutdowns.in suggests that the suspension of internet services in the district will be in place till 10pm tonight, unless stated otherwise. The Section 144 has also been invoked in Aligarh to safeguard against the possibility of any communal conflict.

The West Bengal state government has decided to shutdown Internet services in Malda, Murshidabad, Howrah, North 24 Parganas and parts of South 24 Parganas districts to prevent rumour-mongering and circulation of fake news, especially on social media. The orders issued by the District Magistrate of Murshidabad clarify that the internet shutdown is after intelligence reports warned that web-based services and voice over internet telephony services may be used for unlawful activities in the district. "Despite several requests, a few communal outfits have been carrying out violent protests. In view of the situation, the administration has decided to temporarily suspend Internet services in five districts of the state," an official told the media.

In Meerut, the internet services will be unavailable till noon today, unless further orders are issued. Meerut District Magistrate Anil Dhingra told ANI that internet services have been suspended in the district from 12 pm of December 15 to 12 pm of December 16 in view of law and order maintenance.