The internet shutdown in Kashmir is the wave of the future in the barbaric phase of capitalism. India is the advance guard in imposing news & communication blackouts to prevent collaboration & political solidarity. It is not belaboring comparison to point out that the wholesale assaults on the US Bill of Rights began when we did not stand with the Black community against martial law, protest violence against Black kids falsely accused of narco-terrorism or suspension of the Bill of Rights under the guise of fighting drug trafficking. If we do not stand with Kashmiris, Indians, Uyghur, Rohingya & others subject to internet lockdowns, we can be absolutely certain they will be imposed on us. That’s the way barbarism gains ground.
The reason the government wants to keep blocking full access to the internet in the Valley is its fear of civil disobedience. And that’s why internet restrictions across India are becoming more common by the day.