Shutting down internet services every time there is violence or widespread protest is nothing but bankruptcy of ideas among the ruling class. The idea that spread of violence and rumours could only be controlled by banning internet services has become both redundant and exploitative of those dependent on such services. Time and again, we have seen the damaging impact on life in general, particularly in the service sector which nowadays almost entirely depends on the internet. Banks and online services, even government functioning, are highly dependent on the internet. Last but not the least, the internet has become an essential tool for the press and media services.
When violence erupted on May 3 last year, the Manipur government immediately resorted to banning it. As a short-term measure, one could understand it. But banning it for an extended period of time by prolonging it on and on through extension orders is sheer nonsense. The ban was lifted only at the end of last year, before which a process of partial lifting of the ban from hill areas and whitelisting several numbers was gradually started.
This time, the state home department hurriedly issued the ban order for whole of Manipur at around 3 pm of Tuesday, only to amend it again in the evening by excluding the hill districts and enforcing the ban only in the five valley districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching. We think there must have been tremendous pressure from the powers that be, whoever they be. This surely is going to create waves on social media. There would be questions as to why the internet ban order has been amended to exclude the hill districts? The present upheaval in the valley is the result of a STATE and forces under its command acting on partisan lines. Again, the feud is between a community in the valley and another in the hills. So, freezing net services would only enrage the people more and more leading to uncertain times.
We thought the state government had learnt the lesson and ill-effects of the ban on internet services early this year. The state government did not resort to banning the internet services in the wake of possible conflagration of riots over the January 1 Lilong incident in which four people were killed and several injured. Rather, the state government and frontline civil society organisations put to good use internet services and the social network to appeal for sanity among the tense general public while containing the violence in the general area of the incident only. The said incident happened in a Muslim dominated locality and those killed or injured are all Muslims or Meitei Pangals while the intruders were suspected to be from the Meitei community and rumours were flying around.
As the state is presently embroiled in ethnic clashes and enmity between Kukis and Meiteis, nobody wanted another communal riot between Meiteis and Meitei Pangals to erupt once again. The 1993 Meitei-Meitei Pangal also started in the Lilong area and it left more than 100 people dead. Ever since, both the communities and its representative CSOs had been working hard to maintain the peace and work together. It was indeed good crisis management.
The idea for banning the internet during the Meitei-Kuki then was to keep a check on the violence and rumours from spreading further. But as days went on, the ban became useless as many found ways to circumvent or go around the ban and restrictions. It was even reported that hackers were hired in Churachandpur by people with vested interests to spread the hate campaign. The internet ban was gradually lifted in phases only after the intervention of the court and further pressure from several student organisations and CSOs. The student bodies debated the pros and cons of the government’s prolonged ban on mobile internet and claimed that the ban is ineffective either in triggering or quelling the unrest. Finally, the ban was lifted after more than six months while the repercussions and impact are still being felt. Now, it is back to square one.
