Srinagar, May 28, 2020 (PPI-OT):As many as 48 rights groups from different parts of the world, including US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), have written to the World Health Organisation to impress upon the Indian government to restore internet access in occupied Kashmir. In a letter to WHO, the rights groups have stated that the Indian authorities have restricted internet access to only slow-speed 2G in occupied Kashmir from March 2020 after lifting a seven-month blanket internet shutdown in the territory.
“We received several reports indicating that residents in Jammu and Kashmir are unable to access information about COVID-19 due to the restriction on high-speed 4G internet access in these areas,” the letter reads. Most importantly, it adds, doctors and other health workers who are fighting to prevent the spread of the virus are struggling to download intensive care management guidelines published on various digital platforms.
The letter also states that research by experts in India has also shown that the restrictions on 4G connectivity make access to video conferencing – currently a critical lifeline throughout India and much of the world – virtually impossible to access and use.
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