The politics of internet shutdowns in Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

This paper is the first in a series examining the political, legal, and social implications of internet shutdowns in Kashmir, based on a unique and extensive dataset compiled over 5 years. It analyses previously unseen data detailing the frequency and scope of shutdowns, particularly following the 2019 abrogation of Article 370. The study investigates these shutdowns as tools of state control, while exploring their broader material, political, and discursive meanings. We approach these shutdowns through the lenses of Permanent Emergency and Interpellative Discourses, highlighting how they function as mechanisms of governance that contribute to the production of “bare life”—a state of existence where basic rights and freedoms are suspended. By examining the legal and political dimensions of internet blackouts, this paper aims to, first, lay the groundwork in introducing the issue and, second, to unravel the complex dynamics that shape the lived experiences of Kashmiris, contributing to the discourse on state power, sovereignty, and the effects of technological governance in the contested region of Jammu and Kashmir.