Embedded Files
~
Censorship has been a notable issue for Jammu and Kashmir over the past few years. Just over the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, in Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir, lies a serious issue with censorship. An issue so mammoth-sized, that the Jammu and Kashmiri society has continued to protest against it.
Since 2010, the Indian administered Kashmir has faced a barrage of media censorship whenever there are conflicts between the Indian Armed Forces and the Jammu and Kashmiri people. Consequently, the Indian government decides to then control the media heavily. This continuous pattern has been repeating itself for years, and (if nothing is done to prevent it,) will continue to occur. The censorship issue in Jammu and Kashmiri people is denying the democratic rights of the Jammu and Kashmir people and media to provide appropriate news coverage to the region.
One example that many civilians of Jammu and Kashmir have pointed out was the conflict during 2010 between the Armed Forces and the civilians of Jammu and Kashmir that led to fifteen deaths over the course of three weeks. As a result, instructions for censorship were quickly sent out, thus resulting in no press about the situation. Despite the media censorship, the Jammu and Kashmiri people weren’t silenced. The violence later erupted, as anger poured from the spirits of the Jammu and Kashmiri people. The onslaught of vexation from the civilians of Jammu and Kashmir resulted in protests. The youth of Jammu and Kashmir were prime members of these protests.
Jammu and Kashmiri women protesting the censorship issue
As mentioned earlier, the conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir have been resulting in a censorship lockdown which has evolved into a higher degree of an anger amongst the people. However, the draconian rule hasn’t stopped here.
Social media has played its role in the censorship issue within Jammu and Kashmir. In early August of 2019, a “blackout” of social media was ordered, preventing any civilian of the region from having access to the social media apps. The act became one of the largest internet shutdowns of any democracy.
It wasn’t until the pandemic hit South Asian soil, did social media become accessible amongst the civilians of Jammu and Kashmir. The act only remained in effect for around two weeks, and the censorship still remained heavily draconian even during the liberation of these social media sites in Jammu and Kashmir. VPN apps were criticized heavily, and those who used them could face issues in court. Mobile data speeds were left at the 2G level, they couldn’t go any higher. And many sites were still made unavailable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The complications in Jammu and Kashmir from these censorships have led to protests. The public is torn and is unable to express themselves in the media. For those in Jammu and Kashmir who work over the internet, their work process is broken and is reliant on the everchanging censorship issues. When the internet is banned again, they’ll be unable to provide a living for themselves and their families.
Journalists were frustrated with the censorship issue.
To be frank, the censorship issue in Jammu and Kashmir isn’t in the best interest of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The act of removing the rights of expression and speech through media for the civilians of Jammu and Kashmir is ruining their work-life, disrupting their rights of expression and speech, and is prohibiting objective journalism. Such acts are enough to deem the censorship issue in Jammu and Kashmir as nothing short of a catastrophe.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse