Looks like the Indian Government has found the easiest way to impose curfews, disable mobile internet services. Interestingly, the actual mobile voice services remain active.
The internet has turned out to be the single most powerful tool in the hands of the modern protestor. The Middle Eeastern ‘Spring’ movements had proven this a few years ago. Any protest, anyone angry or unhappy, directly ‘posts’ their frustation on social media, and watch as the world spreads faster at the speed of light. Everyone on twitter seems angry, and its relatively mellow on facebook. But the truth is out, internet is the fastest way to spread word, any word. Which is why it is the first thing to be disabled in any region which goes through a turmoil. A few days ago, mobile internet was cut by the government in Kashmir during the Handwara unrest.
And its the same story today, in Gujarat, another state of India.
I guess the idea here to prevent spread of rumours and calls for agitations by protestors. But it paints a sorry picture, and is a kind of censoring as well.
