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On June 13, the Indian government signed a joint statement at the G7 Summit to promote “open societies” that reaffirm and encourage the values of “freedom of expression, both online and offline, as a freedom that safeguards democracy and helps people live free from fear and oppression”.
However, the signing of the joint statement foregrounds the Indian government’s hypocrisy on civil liberties. While at global forums it trumpets democratic values, at home, the Modi-led central government has laid a politically motivated siege on the freedom of speech and expression by criminalising dissent.
In the backdrop of India’s “lip-service to open societies”, we attempt to revisit the 'free speech' legacy of the present government. We try to understand how a government, which boasts of the world’s longest politically motivated internet shutdown, can pretend to back the 'right to dissent'.
After revoking the special constitutional status of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir, the Indian government imposed an almost complete internet shutdown in the valley on 5 August 2019.
While the complete shutdown continued for just over five months, the “restoration of the internet” that followed was a complete sham. The “restored internet” was at the 2G level with a 384 Kbps speed cap.
It was only after a year of institutionally silencing an entire population that the Indian government announced the restoration of internet services at the 4G level in some of the districts of Kashmir on a “trial basis”. According to InternetShutdowns.in, Kashmir accounts for nearly half of the total 413 internet outages that India has seen since 2012.
A report published by the Jammu-Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) in August 2020 documented the harm caused by the internet shutdown.
According to Khalid Shah, an Associate Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, such measures, taken under the garb of “security”, have alienated the population of an erstwhile state instead of fostering political reintegration.
The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, India’s anti-terror law, which was amended by the present government, has become a primary tool for stifling dissent across the country. The Modi-led central government has routinely used UAPA for the political witch-hunt of academics, students, journalists, and protestors, despite knowing that these cases do not hold up before the court of law.
Another tool in the central government’s armoury to stifle free speech is sedition.
Apart from throttling dissent and democratic principles, the central government has created a political system where hate-mongering and polarisation are incentivised.
The list of politicians who have benefitted from this hate-incentivisation scheme is quite long. Just before the riots broke out in Delhi’s northeast districts in February 2020, BJP leaders Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra, and Parvesh Verma, were caught on camera making inflammatory speeches, calling for violence against the anti-CAA protestors and the minority community.
All three of them are not only yet to face any criminal action, but they have also been elevated in party ranks. In fact, Anurag Thakur was promoted as a “Captain” in the Indian Army in March 2021.
India’s stance on freedom of speech and expression at the G7 Summit stands diametrically opposite to the statements made by the present government’s ministers and advisors.
Takedown notices on Twitter and Facebook have become a norm, targeting anyone – from journalists and comedians to cartoonists – who questions the government. The iron fist of the government’s crackdown has not spared IT intermediaries either. The recent raid at Twitter’s India office and threatening statements from the Delhi Police and the IT Ministry show how an ally is termed a foe to sustain undemocratic practices.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Published: 14 Jun 2021,08:57 PM IST