The internet blockade in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir has completed 100 days. One of the worst suffers of the internet blockade were the journalists from the Valley who found it immensely difficult to carry on their work with ease due to the severe curtailment of internet services.
As the internet connectivity blockade completed its 100th day on November 12, journalists from the Valley came together to organise a sit-in protest against the internet gag that has so severely affected their work. The Valley based journalists took part in large numbers in the demonstration that asserted the damage and hampering caused to their work in the last hundred days. They demonstrated by holding placards that asserted the amount of difficulties that they had faced over the last hundred days due to the internet gag in the Valley.
Journalists from local media houses as well as different media organisations from outside the Valley took part in these protests and spoke against the administration’s decision to cut out all internet connectivity from the Valley. The journalists came together at the Press Club of Kashmir in Srinagar.
They demanded an immediate end to the cutting of internet connections and the immediate restoration of all such facilities. The journalists also showed their laptops with blank screens and protested against the complete block down of internet services in the Vally over the last 100 days. The internet block down hampered the work of journalists as it did not allow them the means to communicate, send or receive information.
The government snapped the internet and mobile services in the Valley and imposed severe restrictions on movement in the Valley on August 5.
This was also the day when the Centre read down Article 370 and bifurcated the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. While the restrictions on mobile connectivity have been removed, the internet gag continues to disrupt connectivity to and from the Valley.
With no word from the government on the restoration of the internet connectivity in the Valley, it will remain to be seen for how many more days the Valley remains under the internet gag.
