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Mobile Internet ban | Manipur HC asks state govt to find ways to restore services

The Manipur High Court directed the State government to consider opening mobile internet in the State by whitelisting devices on a case-to-case basis gradually.

The direction came after the Manipur government submitted that the physical trial ordered by the High Court earlier had shown “there is no data leakage to any other numbers which are not whitelisted” through this method.

In the order dated August 10, the High Court also noted that the government had taken steps to implement its earlier directions of resuming Internet Lease Line (ILL) and Fibre to the home (FTTH) connections gradually on a case to case basis and with restrictions.

Conditions imposed by the government for internet use include users ensuring that all social media applications and Virtual Private Network (VPN) services are deleted from the devices, changing the login ID and password for each system every day, and making Internet service providers (ISPs) take responsibility for securing undertakings from each of their users.

There are also conditions in the undertakings that subject users to “physical monitoring” by concerned authorities to check for violations, if any.

Moreover, while wired (broadband) connections had been allowed by the Manipur government for the time being, the specific condition that users must use a so-called ‘static’ IP address might still restrict access for many.

Meanwhile, amid allegations from BJP legislators and Meitei civil society organisations that the Assam Rifles units stationed in Manipur were biased towards “one community”, the Director General of Assam Rifles, Lieutenant General P.C. Nair, on August 12 met with Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. They discussed the security situation in the State and “issues pertaining to the Assam Rifles in Manipur”.