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<ul><li>The Indian government has been shutting down internet services in select parts of the country amid protests against the <keyword id="6564012" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="citizenship-amendment-act">Citizenship Amendment Act</keyword> (CAA).</li><li>The internet shutdowns have led an outcry from human activists that such measures aren’t coming down through the ‘right channels’.</li><li>The accelerated pace and expanse of the internet shutdowns also has China citing India as ‘setting an example’.</li><li>Businesses aren’t immune to the effects either as many online retailers rescheduled orders or reported a dip in sales.</li></ul>Amid the protests, violence and discord over India’s newly formed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), authorities have been shutting down access to the internet in selected areas to control the situation. When the internet isn’t being shut down, it’s at least being slowed down — known as throttling. Human rights activists claim that the order did not come down the ‘right channels’ making the entire exercise ‘illegal’. 
 <div type="image" title="protest2_edited" msid="72931875" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Throngs of anti-CAA protests outside the Red Fort in New Delhi&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 It can only be ordered by a competent authority like Union home secretary or state home secretary, but this order was not issued by them," technology lawyer Mishi Choudhary told <a href="https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/delhi-internet-shutdown-did-not-come-via-right-channel-digital-right-activists/72897911">ET</a>. And, this is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/internet-shutdowns-in-india-have-skyrocketed-but-now-the-indian-government-wants-that-to-stop/articleshow/67178243.cms">not the first time</a> that the government is being accused of using <keyword id="991379" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet-shutdown">internet shutdown</keyword> as a ‘quick fix’ solution for ‘potentially’ volatile situations. 
 <div type="image" title="protest6_edited" msid="72931857" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Phone with postpaid connections finally get network access in Kashmir on 14 October 2019 after 71 days of an internet shutdown&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 In fact, India has turned so infamous for it during the last few months that China — known for its strict surveillance of online activity — is citing India as an example. India’s internet shutdown shows normal practice for sovereign countries," said an editorial by Qing Qiu in <a href="http://en.people.cn/n3/2019/1217/c90000-9641267.html">People’s Daily</a> — China’s largest newspaper and a controlled entity of the country’s ruling party. Internet shutdown capital of the world The government is allowed to sanction an internet shutdown in the case of a public emergency under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017. The problem is that internet shutdowns have become so common in India that it now has a reputation for being the ‘<a href="https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/inside-the-internet-shutdown-capital-of-the-world-11575644823381.html">internet shutdown capital of the world</a>’. Kashmiris had to endure a four-month-long shutdown while the networks in Assam and parts of West Bengal were sporadically cut and activated. 
 <div type="image" title="protest7_edited" msid="72931888" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Parts of Kashmir remain under curfew and internet black out&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 Since 2012, the internet has been shut down in India a total of 375 times and most of them have occurred during the last two years — 134 in 2018 and 103 in 2019. It means that shutting down the internet in a state of emergency should be standard practice for sovereign countries," according to the <a href="http://en.people.cn/n3/2019/1217/c90000-9641267.html">People’s Daily</a> editorial. Impact of internet shutdowns The damage of an internet shutdown isn’t restricted to missing messages on WhatsApp or an update on Instagram either. Although, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did ironically try and send out a tweet his ‘brothers and sisters in Assam’ when it was under an internet blackout. 
	<div type="twitter" handle="narendramodi" handlename="Narendra Modi" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1134082549041393672/QbihPzrL_normal.png" favoritecount="77241" retweetcount="15350" status="I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of #CAB. I wa… https://t.co/VPsj5t5opd" createdat="1576124902000" id="1204981291730341888"></div>



 Internet shutdowns are affecting businesses as well. Between 2012 to 2017, they cost the economy nearly $3 billion, according to an estimate by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (<a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2018/apr/26/internet-shutdown-cost-indian-economy-usd-3-billion-from-2012-17-study-1806393.html">ICRIER</a>). This time around, food delivery apps like Zomato, Uber Eats and Swiggy saw their <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/cabs-to-food-e-biz-hit-by-internet-shutdown/articleshow/72920805.cms">volumes dip by 10 to 20%</a> in Delhi. Grofers, an online grocery delivery service, had to reschedule 20,000 to 25,000 of its orders in Lucknow. 
 <div type="image" title="protest1_edited" msid="72931915" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Traffic comes to half as roads get blocked by anti-CAA protestors in New Delhi&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 In addition the effect on businesses, this might not be the best time for the Indian government to be exercising its power in such a way with the Personal Data Protection Bill underway. The bill is currently under discussion by a joint committee after being tabled in the Parliament in its last session. There are concerns that it has too many loopholes that will give the government access to user data in the name of ‘national security’ or a ‘public emergency’ — the very same reason used to justify the many internet shutdowns across the country. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/internet-shutdowns-in-india-have-skyrocketed-but-now-the-indian-government-wants-that-to-stop/articleshow/67178243.cms">Internet shutdowns in India have skyrocketed — but now the Indian government wants that to stop</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/All-the-countries-where-someone-managed-to-shut-down-the-entire-internet-160and-why-they-did-it/articleshow/70009168.cms">All the countries where someone managed to shut down the entire internet - and why they did it</a> <a href="http://businessinsider.in/india-accounted-for-most-number-of-intentional-internet-shutdowns-in-south-asia-2017-18-unesco/articleshow/64189016.cms">India accounted for most number of intentional internet shutdowns in South Asia 2017-18: UNESCO</a>

Indian government shut off the Internet over a 100 times in 2019 — and China is lovin' it

New Delhi, Apr 24 () Over 40 global rights groups, part of a campaign #KeepItOn, on Friday demanded the restoration of 4G services in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the absence of high-speed internet is hampering works of doctors, journalists and others amid the COVID-19 lockdown. In an open letter signed by organisations like Access Now, Committee to Protect Journalists, Internet without borders, Human Rights Watch said that the absence of 4G internet has particularly hindered the work of health professionals who are on the front-lines combating this global pandemic. "Doctors in Jammu and Kashmir are struggling to access important information, often waiting hours to download and access information such as guidelines for intensive care management of the virus and best practices recommended by the WHO. The restriction of high-speed internet access has also impeded the work of human rights defenders, journalists and other actors working in the region," the letter said. The coalition these groups which opposes internet shutdown in any part of the world said that the access to information and the free-flow of communications, including for the media, is more crucial than ever in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, which continues to claim thousands of lives globally, especially given the novelty of the virus and lack of a vaccine. It said that the people are relying on the internet and digital communication platforms to access life-saving information provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other public health experts. "Access to accurate information is indispensable in tackling the spread of COVID-19 and it must, therefore, be the priority of every government. The internet is also playing a crucial role during the pandemic in allowing people to carry out important activities while they avoid public spaces since gathering facilitates the spread of the virus," it said. The total number of cases in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 454. While 57 ases are from the Jammu division, 397 are from the Kashmir division, according to officials. There are 340 active COVID-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir. A total of 109 patients have recovered and five have died due to coronavirus, they added. The government in March had restored 2G mobile services in Jammu and Kashmir. However, 4G serivces are yet to be restored., "Access to the internet is also essential for human rights defenders, activists, and journalists to carry out their work of bringing important information to the doorsteps of the people," the letter said. According to the coalition, there have been 213 shutdowns globally in 2019 and the number of countries imposing shutdown increased to 33 in 2019 from 25 in 2018. India topped the list of countries with 121 internet shutdowns. It was followed by Venezuela with 12 internet shudowns, 11 in Yemen, 8 in Iraq, 6 in Algeria and 4 in Ethiopia. The #KeepItOn campaign is being run by rights groups to fight internet shutdowns globally. PRS MKJ

Lockdown: Global rights groups demand restoration of 4G services in J&K

New Delhi, <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> suffered the <keyword id="10551009" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="longest-internet-shutdowns">longest internet shutdowns</keyword> in 2020 for the second year running globally, bearing the biggest economic impact of $2.8 billion and 8,927 hours lost, affecting 10.3 million users in <keyword id="54821" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="total">total</keyword>, a <keyword id="3747284" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-report">new report</keyword> from the UK-based privacy and security research firm Top10VPN has revealed. As in <keyword id="2908075" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="previous-years">previous years</keyword>, India continued to restrict internet access more than any <keyword id="4941263" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="other-country">other country</keyword> -- over 75 times in 2020. "The majority of these short blackouts were highly-targeted, affecting groups of villages or individual city districts and so were not included in this report, which focuses on larger region-wide shutdowns. The true economic cost is therefore likely to be even higher than the $2.8 billion we have calculated," the researchers informed. In Kashmir, authorities lifted restrictions in March 2020 after imposing in August 2019. "However, after the restrictions were lifted authorities continued to severely throttle internet speeds, with citizens only able to access 2G connections," it mentioned. In India, internet blackouts lasted for 1,655 hours while bandwidth throttling resulted in 7,272 hours lost. "India and Myanmar were responsible for the longest shutdowns for the second year running, with restrictions originally imposed in 2019 continuing throughout 2020," the report mentioned. Chad again restricted access to Whats<keyword id="235499" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="APP">App</keyword> after they blocked the app for more than a year in 2018/19. "Combined, these countries experienced a total 64% increase in the number of hours of restrictions in 2020, despite the global public health emergency". Globally, the internet shutdowns cost the world economy, already devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic, a further $4 billion. This, however, represents a 50% decrease in impact compared to $8.05 billion in 2019. Nearly 268 million people were affected by major disruptions in 2020 globally, up 3% year-on-year. According to the report, 93 major shutdowns took place in 21 countries in 2020 and the total duration of major disruptions around the world was 27,165 hours, up 49% from the previous year. Globally, internet blackouts resulted in 10,693 hours lost and internet throttling in 10,920 hours lost. Social media shutdowns resulted in 5,552 hours lost, the report said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/oneplus-fitness-band-india-launch-date-price-and-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/80129498.cms">OnePlus Band India launch date, price and everything you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-will-stop-working-if-you-do-not-agree-to-its-new-terms-and-privacy-policies/articleshow/80127866.cms">WhatsApp will stop working if you do not agree to its new terms and privacy policies</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/toyota-fortuner-suv-2021-launched-in-india-with-new-price-design-and-features-check-details-here/articleshow/80129932.cms">Toyota Fortuner 2021 launched at a starting price of ₹29.98 lakh — here’s all you need to know from looks to specification and features</a>

India suffered longest internet shutdowns in 2020 globally for the second consecutive year

<ul><li>The abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A of constitution which gave Kashmir a special status severely hit tourism in the valley. </li><li>As of August 2019, as many as 144,500 jobs have been lost in Kashmir’s tourism and handicrafts sector, according to the <keyword id="1002837" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kashmir-Chamber-of-Commerce-and-Industry">Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry</keyword> (KCCI). </li><li>Tourism accounts for almost 7% of the state’s <keyword id="6354971" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="gross-domestic-product">gross domestic product</keyword> (GDP). </li><li>Yet another challenge is the internet blockage. The internet shutdown led to over 2,600 tour operators delaying plans for any promotional campaigns, <keyword id="8667284" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="manzoor-ahmad-pakhtoon">Manzoor Ahmad Pakhtoon</keyword>, the president of J&amp;K Tourism Alliance told Forbes. </li></ul>The Narendra Modi government in New Delhi has repeatedly insisted that the situation in Kashmir has been ‘normal’ despite the suspension Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, which gave the state a special status. But data shows that the bundhs and the internet blackout has brought the economy to a grinding halt leading, and half a million people lost their jobs in the process. As of August 2019, as many as 144,500 jobs have been lost in Kashmir’s tourism and handicrafts sector, according to the<a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/144500-jobs-affected-as-tourism-takes-a-hit-in-kashmir/"> Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI)</a>. While the overall job loss in the commercial space stood at 496,000. Much of the damage is in the tourism sector, which makes up for almost 7% of the state’s gross domestic product (GDP). “The back of Kashmir’s tourism sector has been broken because of the situation emerging after August 5, 2019: Tourism is in a shambles while artisans and weavers are jobless,” IndiaSpend <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/144500-jobs-affected-as-tourism-takes-a-hit-in-kashmir/">reported</a> citing <keyword id="159634" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Abdul-Majeed">Abdul Majeed</keyword>, vice president of KCCI. 2018 vs 2019 In fact, the number of travellers in Kashmir — including those on an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-india-pakistan-border-in-kashmir-is-simmering-again-thousands-of-amarnath-pilgrims-have-been-sent-back/articleshow/70500904.cms">Amarnath Yatra</a> — plunged to a decade low in 2019. Almost 500,000 tourists visited the valley last year — including 32,985 foreigners. And most of them left before the government revoked its autonomous status. The August to December period witnessed a slump of 86%, as per the tourism department. Yet another challenge to it is the internet blockage, which has impacted communication in the area. The internet shutdown led to over 2,600 tour operators delaying plans for promotional campaigns, Manzoor Ahmad Pakhtoon, the president of J&amp;K Tourism Alliance<a href="http://www.forbesindia.com/article/special/kashmir039s-tourism-sector-faces-losses-over-rs-9000-cr-14-lakh-people-lose-jobs/57275/1"> told </a>Forbes. “The campaigns begin in November for the winter and spring season. Even now, when winter is at its peak, adventure sports in <keyword id="108228" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gulmarg">Gulmarg</keyword> have no takers,” he had said. “Doing trade without favourable conditions and the internet is unimaginable in the present-day world. In one fell swoop, irreversible damage has been caused to the state’s economy; not a single sector has been spared,” Majeed added. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/news/kashmirs-5-month-internet-blackout-is-the-longest-ever-imposed-in-a-democracy-and-its-stifling-local-workers/articleshow/73197027.cms">Kashmir's 5-month internet blackout is the longest ever imposed in a democracy - and it's stifling local workers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-top-court-has-declared-the-record-breaking-159-day-long-kashmir-internet-blackout-illegal/articleshow/73188504.cms">India's top court has declared the record-breaking 159-day-long Kashmir internet blackout illegal</a>

The new ‘normal’ in Kashmir has cost nearly half a million jobs — bundhs and internet blackout are breaking businesses

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6354616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword> suspended 500 accounts in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and said the Indian government issued takedown requests.</li><li>The social media site temporarily complied but has since restored some of the accounts. </li><li>This is happening as <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>'s government cracks down on farmer protests.</li></ul>Twitter is looking down the barrel of a political disaster in India.In a <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/en_in/topics/company/2020/twitters-response-indian-government.html">blog post</a> published Wednesday, the social media company said it has suspended 500 accounts in India who were "engaging in clear examples of platform manipulation and spam." It also said it blocked "certain terms" from appearing in its trending section, but did not say what these terms were. Twitter also revealed it's been getting messages from India's government.The company said: "Over the course of the last 10 days, Twitter has been served with several separate blocking orders by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act."It continued: "Out of these, two were emergency blocking orders that we temporarily complied with but subsequently restored access to the content in a manner that we believe was consistent with Indian law. After we communicated this to MeitY, we were served with a non-compliance notice."Twitter said it has at least semi-complied with the government's demands. In the blog it said has taken action against "more than 500" of the accounts flagged to it by the MeitY, including suspensions. It did not clarify how many suspensions it upheld as a result of the order.The MeitY tweeted on Wednesday saying Twitter had requested a meeting with the government prior to publishing the blog post. "Upon the request of Twitter seeking a meeting with the Govt., the Secretary IT was to engage with senior management of Twitter. In this light a blog post published prior to this engagement is unusual. Govt. will share its response soon," it said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/GoI_MeitY/status/1359412111634386948">statement</a>.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-silicon-valley-banished-donald-trump-in-48-hours-2021-1?r=ih-sub">How Silicon Valley banished Donald Trump in 48 hours</a>Last week, Twitter suspended the accounts for numerous high-profile journalists and publications in India, a decision it <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/01/twitter-restricts-over-a-dozen-high-profile-accounts-in-india-following-legal-demand/">quietly reversed after they were inaccessible for roughly 12 hours</a>. The platform received considerable backlash from commentators saying it had assisted the Indian government in quashing freedom of speech.Narendra Modi's government reacted to Twitter restoring the accounts by <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pranavdixit/india-threatens-twitter-jail">threatening its Indian employees with jail time</a>.The backdrop for the government's demands are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-farmer-strike-largest-protest-history-us-world-pay-attention-2020-12">ongoing protests from millions of farmers</a> over three agricultural reform bills the government passed in September. Although the protests have been going on since August, the Indian government has started cracking down on protesters, and in late January ordered <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-55872480">an internet shutdown in New Delhi</a>.<div type="image" title="Narendra Modi.JPG" height="2000" width="2666" msid="80790086" hostid="261"></div>"The Indian government is no stranger to clamping down on <keyword id="122741" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="freedom-of-expression">freedom of expression</keyword> and stifling the free flow of information online. It has implemented <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/government-internet-blackouts-human-rights-india-kashmir-coronavirus-2021-1">more internet shutdowns than anywhere else in the world</a> and repeatedly restricts citizens' access to the internet during politically significant moments," Samuel Woodhams, a researcher at digital rights organization Top10VPN, told Insider."There's no doubt social media platforms are in a difficult position, particularly given the threat of fines and potential imprisonment if they don't follow the government's orders. However, it remains their duty to do everything in their power to defend freedom of expression online," he added.

Twitter faces a political disaster in India, where it's taking heat from both the government and protesters over the suspension of accounts

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>'s government has slammed Western celebrities for backing the <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="farmers">farmers</keyword> protesting in New Delhi.</li><li>Farmers say the government's proposed reforms to agricultural laws will leave them poorer.</li><li>Pro-government crowds burned photos of Rihanna and Greta Thunberg on Thursday.</li></ul>The Indian government has launched an attack on Western celebrities, with some supporters burning their photos, for publicly supporting mass protests by farmers.In late November 2020, some 300,000 farmers marched on New Delhi and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-closed-farmers-occupy-cities-in-revolt-against-market-reforms-2020-12">set up camp to protest a planned reform of agriculture laws</a> that they say will see them lose their income.Many have joined them - with the crowd size <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-farmer-strike-largest-protest-history-us-world-pay-attention-2020-12">reaching 250 million</a> at its peak - and the farmers remain unmoving.This week, the farmers' cause was taken up by several US and European celebrities, prompting anger from the government and its supporters."The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible," India's external affairs ministry <a href="https://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/33456/Press_Statement_on_recent_comments_by_foreign_individuals_and_entities_on_the_farmers_protests">said in a statement Wednesday.</a><div type="image" title="Indian Farmers Protests" height="1744" width="3488" msid="80722099" hostid="261"></div>The comments came hours after celebrities including the climate activist Greta Thunberg, singer Rihanna, and author Meena Harris - who is also the niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris - expressed support for the farmers."We stand in solidarity with farmers protests in India," Thunberg <a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1357054451769606147">tweeted</a> Tuesday. The next day, Thunberg tweeted <a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1357054451769606147">a "toolkit"</a> for supporting the farmers, including how to sign petitions and which hashtags to use.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/rihanna-tweets-about-farmers-protests-in-india-faces-vicious-trolling-on-twitter/articleshow/80664477.cms">Rihanna</a> on Tuesday tweeted an article about the protest, writing: "Why aren't we talking about this?!"The same day, Meena Harris <a href="https://twitter.com/meenaharris/status/1356747965713371138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1356747965713371138%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Findia-government-attack-us-celebrities-backing-farmer-protests-burn-effigies-2021-221-2">tweeted</a>: "We ALL should be outraged by India's internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters."Harris was referring to the government's <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/01/asia/india-internet-cut-farmers-intl-hnk/index.html">decision last Sunday to once again shut down the internet</a> around New Delhi amid the protests.On Thursday, pro-government protesters in New Delhi also burned photos of Thunberg, Rihanna, and Harris, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/04/greta-thunberg-effigies-burned-in-delhi-after-tweets-on-farmers-protests">The Guardian reported</a>.Harris <a href="https://twitter.com/meenaharris/status/1357376550803369986">tweeted</a> in response to a photo of her likeness being burned: "I spoke out in support of human rights for Indian farmers, and look at the response."The NBA player Kyle Kuzma has also <a href="https://twitter.com/kylekuzma/status/1357009721090138112">tweeted</a> about the protests, while the NFL player JuJu Smith Schuster <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamJuJu/status/1357048037302960129">tweeted</a> that he had donated $10,000 to help the farmer obtain medical supplies.A number of Indian celebrities have also publicly supported their government, with the <a href="https://theprint.in/india/after-rihanna-greta-thunberg-support-farm-protests-kangana-calls-farmers-terrorists/597806/">actress Kangana Ranaut</a>, describing the farmers as terrorists, and the Indian cricket player Pragyan Ojha <a href="https://twitter.com/pragyanojha/status/1356697584291639296">tweeting to Rihanna</a>: "We don't need an outsider poking her nose in our internal matters!"Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-campaign-against-republicans-voted-for-impeachment-2021-2">Trump is plotting a campaign revenge tour targeting GOP defectors after Senate impeachment trial</a><h2>Why are the protests happening?</h2>The Indian government wants to liberalize the agriculture industry - in which 40% of Indians work - and deregulate crop pricing.Farmers' unions say the proposed laws <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/27/world/asia/india-farmer-protest.html">would make them poorer</a> and leave them exposed to exploitation from large corporations. They also say <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/were-farmers-consulted-before-farm-laws-no-record-says-rti-response-2345287">they were not consulted</a> about the new plans.The demonstrations <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/world/asia/india-farmers-protests-delhi.html">have often turned violent</a>, with <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-55899754">the police erecting barbed wire barricades</a> and <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/police-use-barbed-wire-spikes-trenches-to-cut-off-protest-sites/article33734304.ece">digging trenches</a> around parts of New Delhi.On January 27, a number of farmers broke into the city's historic Red Fort, and the government called the military eject them. Three hundred police officers were also injured in the city that day, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-55817628">the BBC added</a>.Some farmers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-farmers-protest-law-suicide-epidemic-2021-1">have also said that the proposed laws are worsening the suicide epidemic</a> sweeping their industry, as Insider reported last month.The farmers' efforts have had some impact, but how the fight will end remains unclear.Late last month, India's Supreme Court ruled to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/world/asia/india-farmers-protest-court-law.html">suspend the new laws</a> from being imposed last month, but farmer are <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-55615482">refusing to back down</a> until the laws are completely repealed - a move that the government has already vowed not to do.

The Indian government and its supporters are attacking Western celebrities for supporting the farmers' protests

<ul><li><keyword id="94964" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dabangg">Dabangg</keyword> 3 featuring <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="salman-khan">Salman Khan</keyword> and Sonakshi Sinha, earned ₹73 crore on its first weekend after release. </li><li>Film analyst believe the movie could have earned ₹85 crore if not for the CAA protests. </li><li>Moreover, the film — that gives a sneak peak of about Chulbul’s secret — hasn’t received good reviews. </li></ul><keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> superstar Salman Khan is known to pick and choose the timing of his movie releases and this time around, he might have gotten it wrong. While his much-awaited Dabangg 3 earned ₹73 crore on its first weekend, it could have been better. Film analysts believe that the movie could have earned ₹85 crore had it been a normal weekend <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/caa-protests-traffic-snarls-in-national-capital-delhi-gurgaon-border-chokes-with-vehicles/articleshow/72882208.cms">without the CAA protests. </a> “There has probably been some stabilization of the law and order issues as some places have grown more than others as they managed more screenings but still the film would have lost a reasonable amount of business. The Delhi / UP circuit is still heavily affected,” repored Boxoffice India. The recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) triggered protests, leading to clashes between police and protestors. In most cases, it lead to imposition of Section 144, internet and metro shutdowns and massive traffic jams. 
	
	
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="taran_adarsh" handlename="taran adarsh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1440352704/profile_pic_taran_normal.jpg" favoritecount="10190" retweetcount="1244" status="#Dabangg3 stays in the same range on Day 2... Few circuits up, few down... Protests hit biz hard... Loses approx ₹… https://t.co/964eUYTeHt" createdat="1577004310000" id="1208669796629221376"></div>











 Yet, the movie itself is raking in the moolah. It registered the fourth best weekend ever in 2019 after War, Bharat and <keyword id="4397147" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Saaho">Saaho</keyword> (Hindi). On the third day of release, its collections grew by 30% growth registering ₹29 crore in net earnings. It collected ₹24.5 crore on the first day of its release and ₹22 crore on the second day. The Christmas holidays on the horizon may bring a lot more people into the theatres. The film is released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. The Prabhudeva directorial also stars Sonakshi Sinha and Mahesh Manjrekar's daughter Saiee Manjrekar also makes her debut in it . The film also features Kannada superstar Kichcha Sudeep in as the villain. Good profits, bad story This is the third installment of the much loved character Chulbul Pandey, a role that catapulted him to a star reviving his then flailing career in 2010. The movie takes viewers back to reveal a secret making it a prequel of sorts. However, the Khan magic might have faded this time, as critics remained unimpressed. They labelled it a “disaster”. “Watching Dabangg 3 it’s clear that the law of diminishing returns has caught up with this franchise. There is just no polite way to say this – the new film is an excruciating, exhausting bore,” <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/movies/dabangg-3-movie-review-salman-khan-film-is-an-excruciating-exhausting-bore-2431593.html">wrote </a>film critic Rajeev Masand. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/brands/news/pepsi-gets-a-54-year-old-star-salman-khan-to-target-millennials/articleshow/72453762.cms">Pepsi gets a 54-year-old star, Salman Khan to target millennials</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/caa-internet-shutdowns-make-india-example-for-china/articleshow/72931761.cms">Indian government shut off the Internet over a 100 times in 2019 — and China is lovin' it</a>

Dabangg 3 lost 15% of its weekend business due to CAA protests — but that’s not the only reason

New Delhi, May 10 () Data network solutions provider Sterlite Technologies is hopeful that its global production capacity will reach near pre-COVID levels by May-end if calibrated moves to reopen economies and businesses proceed as per expectation, according to Group CEO Anand Agarwal. The company, which designs and deploys high-capacity converged fibre and wireless networks, said export shipments from India have commenced to Europe, Middle East and Latin America. With a portfolio ranging from optical fibre and cables, network design, and deployment and network software, Pune-based Sterlite Technologies positions itself as integrated solutions provider for global data networks, with optical preform, fibre and cable manufacturing facilities in India, Italy, China and Brazil. "We are operating at 60-65 per cent of our global production capacity...I foresee we should be back to operating globally at pre-COVID levels of capacity by end of May, unless something unexpected comes up. We are going by expectation that things will keep opening up," Agarwal told . The company has put in place rigorous measures to ensure that staff on duty at its units adhere to social distancing norms and come in staggered shifts. "Manufacturing is one part of business but there are many people who work on projects, then also in our software business. So people who are in software business continue to largely work from home. "People on projects between the ones that are required to be on sites, where we have got permission in green and orange zones, are there...again from supervision, design and planning, we have balanced it out so that work continues but at the same time we don't crowd the location," he said. Before the pandemic struck, the company was operating fibre business at 30 million fibre kilometres annual capacity and cable business at 18 million annual capacity. The manufacturing units in India produce preform, fibre and cable, while China unit focuses on fibre, and Italy and Brazil units on cable. The factory shutdowns due to the global coronavirus pandemic impacted different geographies at varying points of time. "Broadly everywhere we had two weeks' period where it was almost fully shutdown, but in most places because it qualifies under essential services, manufacturing started for supplying products for networks that had broken down or networks which needed capacities...and then gradually moved onto business which were like pending orders," Agarwal said. He asserted that the shifts on data demand and higher utilisation of network are here to stay. "Previously, people were focused on downloads but with the current situation most of the workflows have moved to internet. This is only way of staying connected, and demand is 30-40 per cent higher," he said. In India, economic and business activities are slowly restarting outside containment zones, and partial movement has resumed within states in the third phase of lockdown. The government has announced an extension of nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic till May 17, and issued new guidelines permitting different sets of relaxations in green, red, and orange zones, thus paving the way for a staggered exit while reopening the economy. As on Sunday, the death toll due to coronavirus pandemic stood at 2,109, while the cases have risen to 62,939 in the country. MBI RVK

Sterlite Technologies says its global manufacturing capacity may reach pre-COVID levels by May-end

<ul class="summary-list"><li>India's parliament passed a new amendment to its citizenship law earlier this month, providing a pathway to citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities while singling out its minority Muslim population. </li><li>The amended act has been <a href="https://twitter.com/UNHumanRights/status/1205451656495861761">slammed by critics</a> and has sparked deadly protests around the country.</li><li>The fight that has erupted over the citizenship bill is reflective of the country's <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2124474/india-no-country-muslims">rising tide of bigotry</a> directed towards minorities, in particular, its Muslim population, which makes up about 14% of the country's massive 1.3 billion people.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>A controversial amendment to a law was recently passed in India, sparking deadly protests around the country and leading some to question the country's democratic values.On December 11, India's parliament passed an amendment to its Citizenship Act of 1955, which sets out guidelines for becoming a citizen in the country. The 2019 revision added a religious element to the bill, providing a pathway to citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities who fled neighboring Muslim-majority countries Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The amended act has been <a href="https://twitter.com/UNHumanRights/status/1205451656495861761">slammed by critics</a> as anti-Islam, and they say it further marginalizes India's sizeable Muslim minority. Violent protests have erupted across the country in response, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-burning-protests-new-citizenship-act-2019-12">resulting in the deaths of six people</a>. Dozens more have been arrested or injured in clashes with police.The fight that has erupted over the citizenship bill is reflective of the country's <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2124474/india-no-country-muslims">rising tide of bigotry</a> directed towards minorities, in particular, its Muslim population, which makes up about 14% of the country's massive 1.3 billion people.The bill has also handed more power to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist government in crafting a country which affords more rights to its Hindu majority and leaves room for further discrimination in the areas of governance and public space. <h2>What exactly does the bill say?</h2>India's Citizenship Act was first established in 1955 and created comprehensive guidelines related to citizenship in the country.It has been amended several times, including at 2003 amendment that authorized the government to keep a national register of all of its citizens (referred to as the NRC). Today, the register has not yet been implemented except in the northeastern state of Assam, which is home to a Muslim-majority population. The most recent changes to the Citizenship Act (often referred to locally as CAB or CAA) were passed by India's lower house of parliament - the Lok Sabha - on December 10, before being cleared by the upper house of parliament - the Rajya Sabha - a day later. The bill was signed into law by President Ram Nath Kovind.The bill was introduced by Indian home affairs minister Amit Shah, a leading member of ‎Modi's right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, and it promised to provide refuge for persecuted religious minorities from three neighboring Muslim-majority countries who entered India before 2015.Notably, the act excludes Muslim migrants "as they do not face religious persecution in these Islamic countries," India's parliament <a href="https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=195783">said in a statement</a> after the bill's passage. The bill also leaves out two neighboring Buddhist countries, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, which have experienced major refugee crises in recent years. There are about 59,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees residing in over 100 camps in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, according to <a href="https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/article30328790.ece">Indian magazine Frontline</a>, and about 30,000 that live outside these camps.The bill also ignores what the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22491&amp;LangID=E">UN has deemed the world's most persecuted minority</a>, the Rohingya Muslims, who suffered ethnic and religious cleansing at the hands of the Burmese military in Myanmar. Authorities <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya-india-idUSKCN1AU0UC">have reportedly pledged</a> to deport the estimated 40,000 Rohingya refugees currently residing in India, despite facing danger in their home state. "The only religion that the Modi government follows is the Constitution of India," the statement added.In the statement, Shah "reiterated that the Bill is not against any Minority in India and the rights of each Indian Citizen will be equally protected."The bill does not apply to Assam and other indigenous areas.A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25425&amp;LangID=E">called</a> the act "discriminatory in nature" and said it undermines India's democratic framework:"The law isn't truly about protecting the region's religious minorities," <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/12/17/india-citizenship-law-protests-narendra-modi-amit-shah-founding-fathers/">wrote Ravi Agrawal and Kathryn Salam of Foreign Policy</a>. "Instead, it challenges India's secularism by making religion part of the basis for citizenship."The Citizenship Act has spurred thousands of people from human rights groups, universities and religious groups to come out in protest this month. On December 15, clashes between police and students escalated on two Muslim university campuses - Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh and of Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi - resulting in police <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/17/india-protests-students-condemn-barbaric-police">using batons and tear gas on students</a>.The unrest has even led authorities to deploy army personnel and <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/curfew-relaxed-few-hours-guwahati-assam-boils-caa-1628386-2019-12-15">impose a curfew in Assam</a>, as protests boil over. <h2>This is not the first time the government has targeted its Muslim population</h2>India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has taken steps to further marginalize the country's Muslim population since coming into power in 2014.The NRC's exclusive use in Assam has been derided by critics as a way to of stoking religious tensions. According to a <a href="http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW18C-01%20MDDS.XLS">2011 census</a>, Muslims makeup nearly 35% of Assam's population, and are a majority in eight of the state's districts. <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/assam-final-nrc-list-out-over-19-lakh-people-excluded-1593769-2019-08-31">In August</a>, 1.9 million people from the region were excluded from the register, effectively stripping them of citizenship. <a href="https://amnesty.org.in/news-update/uncertain-destiny-for-millions-in-assam-post-nrc/">Amnesty International</a> has criticized the NRC and says it leaves the futures of millions of people in the region uncertain.In September, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-building-mass-detention-center-illegal-immigrants-assam-citizenship-2019-9/commerce-on-business-insider">India began construction</a> on a large-scale detention center in the Goalpara district of Assam meant to hold at least 3,000 detainees, according to Reuters. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-india-revoke-article-370-quasi-independence-internet-tourists-2019-8">And in August</a>, India also revoked part of its constitution which gave the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir a special status and quasi-independence. Over the past four months, Kashmir, which is home to a significant Muslim population, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/kashmiri-artists-resisting-india-months-long-lockdown-191207062705088.html">has been off from communication, held on lockdown</a>, and is now directly under the control of India's federal government in New Delhi. As part of shutting down communication, residents in Kashmir have lost access to phone lines and the internet. According to advocacy groups, the internet shutdown in the region is the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/indias-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir-is-now-the-longest-ever-in-a-democracy/2019/12/15/bb0693ea-1dfc-11ea-977a-15a6710ed6da_story.html">longest-ever crackdown imposed on a democracy</a>. Only authoritarian countries, like China and Myanmar, have experienced longer internet shutdowns.The four-month internet blackout has been so severe that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whatsapp-kashmir-accounts-removed-internet-blackout-2019-12">WhatsApp is deleting the accounts</a> of residents in the region because they've been inactive for so long. <h2>State-sanctioned discrimination against Muslims has had dire consequences</h2>The Modi government's attitudes and policies towards minority groups has sparked racially motivated clashes, and observers say that the ruling Hindu party has fostered a culture of impunity through its inaction in addressing violence.Shah, who crafted the citizenship bill, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/india-election-speech/amit-shah-vows-to-throw-illegal-immigrants-into-bay-of-bengal-idUSKCN1RO1YD">vowed in April</a> to throw illegal Muslim immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh into the Bay of Bengal. He has also <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha-2019/story/bjp-amit-shah-hindu-refugees-mamata-bannerjee-1499691-2019-04-11">previously referred</a> to illegal immigrants as "termites." India has also seen an increase in attacks against its Muslim minority in recent months. A February 2019 report from <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/02/18/violent-cow-protection-india/vigilante-groups-attack-minorities">Human Rights Watch</a> found that between May 2015 and December 2018, at least 36 Muslims were killed across 12 Indian states. Roughly 280 people were injured across 20 states during the same period, the rights group added.In a particularly gruesome case last year, an eight-year-old Muslim girl was kidnapped, raped, and killed in Jammu and Kashmir by a group of Hindu men with the intention of committing the crime <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/six-men-convicted-in-rape-of-8-year-old-girl-that-shocked-india/2019/06/10/cde7b17c-8b5f-11e9-b162-8f6f41ec3c04_story.html">in order to drive away Muslim nomads in the area</a>. The country has also seen a <a href="https://www.trtworld.com/asia/in-southern-kashmir-there-s-little-enthusiasm-for-india-s-elections-26253">crackdown on protests</a>, attacks on the <a href="https://thewire.in/politics/narendra-modi-amit-shah-bjp-india-media">free press</a>, and history books <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/india-modi-culture/">have been rewritten</a> in favor of Hindu achievements.<h2>India is inching towards fascism</h2>Experts have noted that India is straying away from its democratic values under the Bharatiya Janata Party. "There is absolute political consensus within the Bharatiya Janata Party that India is culturally a Hindu country," Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-12-17/citizenship-law-moves-india-closer-to-being-hindu-country">Los Angeles Times</a>. Harish Pullanoor, an editor at Quartz India, <a href="https://qz.com/india/844672/along-with-narendra-modis-rise-india-has-displayed-classic-signs-that-foreshadow-fascism/">wrote</a> in 2016 that India was "displaying classic signs that foreshadow fascism," including the disenfranchisement of religious minorities. "The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders," wrote Umberto Eco, an Italian philosopher, who wrote of a <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/1995/06/22/ur-fascism/">list of features</a> that define a fascist state.In April, several Muslim merchants in Old Delhi described fears of religiously-motivated violence against them. "I could be lynched right now and nobody would do anything about it," Abdul Adnan, a Muslim businessman, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/world/asia/modi-india-elections.html">The New York Times</a>. "My government doesn't even consider me Indian. How can that be when my ancestors have lived here hundreds of years?"According to The Times, the consensus among Indian activists and liberal political analysts is that the country, under Modi, has become "more toxically divided between Hindus and Muslims.""In plain language, they are what we now call communal fascists," Aditya Mukherjee, a retired historian told The Times. Historian Ramachandra Guha wrote in an op-ed in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/14/india-was-miracle-democracy-its-time-downgrade-its-credentials/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/14/india-was-miracle-democracy-its-time-downgrade-its-credentials/">The Washington Post</a> in August that it was time to downgrade India's status as a world-class democracy. "Given the lack of any sort of credible opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the atmosphere of fear among religious minorities and the attacks on a free press, we are now a 40-60 democracy," he wrote of India.

You Searched For "internet shutdown delhi" and got 9 results

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