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marketrent OP t1_jcvmucl wrote

Excerpt from the linked content^1 by Gerry Shih, Karishma Mehrotra, and Shams Irfan:

>Indian authorities severed mobile internet access and text messaging for a second day Sunday across Punjab, a state of about 27 million people, as officials sought to capture a Sikh separatist and braced for potential unrest.

>The statewide ban — which crippled most smartphone services except for voice calls and some SMS text messages — marked one of the broadest shutdowns in recent years in India, a country that has increasingly deployed the law enforcement tactic, which digital rights activists call draconian and ineffective.

>Three Punjab residents who spoke to The Washington Post said life had been disrupted since midday Saturday.

>“My entire business is dependent on internet,” said Mohammad Ibrahim, who accepts QR code-based payments at his two clothing shops in a village outside of Ludhiana and also sells garments online. “Since yesterday, I’ve felt crippled.”

>In each of the past five years, Indian officials have ordered internet shutdowns more frequently than any other government, according to the New York-based advocacy group Access Now, which issues annual reports on the practice.

>Authorities in Punjab deployed a tactic that is usually seen in another restive Indian region: Jammu and Kashmir. The majority-Muslim region in India’s far north has experienced internet disruptions more than 400 times in the past decade, according to the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC), a New Delhi-based nonprofit.

^1 Gerry Shih, Karishma Mehrotra, and Shams Irfan for the Washington Post/Jeff Bezos, 19 Mar. 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/19/india-punjab-intermet-ban-amritpal-singh/

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32ChiangMai t1_jcwjygu wrote

Inconvenience 27 million people to get at 1 person. Sounds about right.

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TheLizardKing89 t1_jcwq54m wrote

27 million people is a larger population than every US state except California and Texas. Imagine shutting off the internet to all of New York just to catch one guy.

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conquer69 t1_jcwoizl wrote

Sounds like people in this region are treated like second class citizens. No wonder they want independence.

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calmtigers t1_jcwroxo wrote

Indian politics have consistently targeted Punjab and its people, especially those who are young and may voice an opinion they don’t like

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happyscrappy t1_jcwked7 wrote

Indian government: replaces all currency partly to try to get everyone to use electronic payment systems like paytm (or PhonePe) instead of cash

Same Indian government: shuts down the internet at random intervals thus shutting down electronic payment systems

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LiftingUP t1_jcwnu4n wrote

FUCK YOU I DONT KNOW HOW THE ECONOMY WORKS OR MONEY IM JUST MAKING WILD DECISIONS AND BANS - government

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thegreatgazoo t1_jcwltcp wrote

Around here the fugitive would have everyone from 10 and older hunting them down wild west style.

Wanted dead or alive. Preferably dead.

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