In the first widespread communications blackout in Delhi since the farmers’ agitation in 2021, mobile internet was switched off throughout Central Delhi, even as demonstrators poured into Jantar Mantar and security forces were dispersing them with force. The shutdown impeded the flow of visuals from the area, including by media at the scene. Protesters and journalists alike resorted to nearby establishments’ WiFi hotspots.

Mobile internet shutdowns are an extraordinary step in controlling unrest and are overall on the decline in the last two years. The government’s decision to shut down mobile internet till the evening drew condemnation from the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) and the Software Freedom Law Centre, India (SFLC).