T
his post originally appeared on Video Volunteers, an award-winning international community media organization based in India. An edited version is published below as part of a content-sharing agreement.
Access to mobile, landline and internet networks were suspended along with a complete lockdown in the Indian administered Kashmir region on August 5, 2019, after the government of India revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution that provided special autonomy status to the region.
After more than two months, the government partially restored the communication blockade. Internet access has been restored in some institutions and new rules force companies to give up their privacy and refrain from the use of social networks if they want to use the Internet. However, regular citizens still have no access to the Internet.
In a video report by Pir Azhar, Community Correspondent of Video Volunteers from Kupwara district in Kashmir, he shares that the Internet ban is taking a toll on the 48,000 Kashmiri students who are appearing at different public examinations. Many students were in the dark regarding their examination dates.
Because of the “Security Measures” taken after the abrogation of Special Status of Jammu and Kashmir allotted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, schools were closed and students could not prepare fully for examinations. They worry about qualifying for the upcoming examination.