Internet ban not the solution
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 12, 2024 -

THE Government of Manipur may have once again invoked the powers conferred under Rule 2 of Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017 and ordered temporary suspension of internet and mobile data services in the state for five days in the light of escalating protest by students, who have come out on the streets demanding resignation of the security advisor and the DGP, and handing over the charge of Unified Command to the chief minister, among others.

But imposing a blanket ban on internet services can never be a solution to the over 16-month long crisis in Manipur.

If banning of internet services could have served the purpose, then the crisis in Manipur would have been resolved within the first five days or the six-month period when the ban was in place last time.

One needs to remember that internet services in Manipur remained shut down for six months after the May 3, 2023 "Tribal Solidarity March" organised by All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) in the hill areas of the state against the Manipur High Court's directive to the state government for sending the requisite recommendation to the Central government for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei community in the ST list of the Constitution of India turned violent in Churachandpur district and led to violent clashes between the Kuki-Chin and Meetei communities.

What was said to be a temporary suspension for five days went on extended after every five days, thus, putting the people, who depend on internet for various purposes in a tight situation.

But the ban on internet services did not help in saving hundreds of human lives nor in preventing displacement of thousands of families from their respective homes and hearths on both sides of the clash divide.

Other than drawing backlashes and facing legal battles, ban on internet services did not serve the intended purpose of curbing the violence at all.

It seems the government of Manipur is committing the same blunder again by ordering "temporary suspension/curbihg of internet and mobile data services including Lease Lines, VSATs, Broadbands and VPN services in the territorial jurisdiction of the State of Manipur for 5 days", which was later amended and confined in the valley districts.

The apprehension about some anti-social elements using social media for transmission of images, hate speech and hate video messages to incite the public, which might have serious repercussions in the maintenance of law-and-order in the state may be genuine, but imposing a blanket ban oh internet services even in places not affected by the conflict is not reasonable.

It's no wonder, Tangkhul Mayar Ngala Long (TMNL-Youth Council) had taken strong exception to the statewide internet ban irrespective of conflict and peaceful zones and appealed to the state government to immediately revoke the internet ban order from its jurisdiction covering Ukhrul and Kamjong districts.

We are living in an age of information technology and internet has become a part and parcel of our daily life.

Whether it is in our professional or private life, in administration or education, in business transaction or communication, internet is indispensable today.

The government of Manipur needs to wake up to this reality.

Rather than exacerbating the already debilitating socio-economic condition of the strife-torn state and causing more inconveniences to the hard-pressed people, the state administration should look for ways and means of promoting prudent use of internet even if the threat posed by anti-social elements through misuse of social media is real.

Failure of the government of Manipur to learn from its own mistake is one of the main reasons for the ethnic conflict between the Kuki-Chin and Meetei communities to linger without any solution in sight.

It is now quite apparent that the conflict will go on and the suffering of people will continue, because the government is yet to learn any lesson from its own mistake or from similar experiences of others.