“Farmers Protest Unleashed: The Power, Passion, and Perseverance Behind the Movement”

Farmers’ protest: The ban on mobile internet affects many aspects of Punjab and Haryana daily life
“We have been facing internet problems since February 11,” stated Deepak Jain, the leader of the Town and Village Welfare Society in Lehragaga town, Sangrur district. We intend to cut the cell tower wires in our communities if the government doesn’t rectify the situation by Tuesday.

Ten days have passed since significant areas of Punjab lost internet access, which has an impact on daily tasks like studying and running businesses. On February 14, the Center blocked internet access in certain areas of four districts in Punjab; on February 16, this was expanded to seven districts. If locals are to be believed, however, internet issues have been plaguing them since February 11, the day the farmers announced their intention to march on Delhi.

farmer protest

Farmers Protest/The Ripple Effect on Daily Life

The Town and Village Welfare Society president of Lehragaga town in the Sangrur district, Deepak Jain, stated: “We have been experiencing internet issues since February 11. We will break the connections on the mobile towers in our communities if the government doesn’t restore the supply by Tuesday.

The 64-year-old social activist Jain claimed to have written a letter on February 20 to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Strain on Businesses and Services in Farmers Protest

“Even when their jobs are impacted, people don’t speak up or come forward about it. At the SDM office, authorities blame the internet outage for our inability to complete our duties. “I wonder if these offices’ broadband connections are down as well,” he remarked.

Due to a lack of internet availability, students are unable to obtain revision notes and crucial information while the Classes X and XII board exams are taking place. Numerous daily assignments in school rely on internet applications.

The continuing farmers’ movement on the Punjab-Haryana borders at Shambhu and Khanauri has disrupted internet service in some areas of Sangrur, Patiala, Mohali, Fatehgarh Sahib, Bathinda, Mansa, and Muktsar.

Voices of Dissent in Farmers Protest

“They are talking about holding talks and resolving our issues while snapping the internet supply in a large part of Punjab and Haryana,” Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), Haryana, spokesperson Tejveer Singh Mann told The Indian Express. This calls into question their own Digital India initiative.

According to Digvijay Pal Sharma, head of the Democratic Teachers’ Front of Punjab, “broadband is not affordable for every family these days, and the internet has become a necessity in our lives.” Therefore, the government must comprehend the issues facing the populace and act appropriately.

Companies that handle online financial transactions as well as online payments for business transactions have been impacted. Furthermore, the patient database in de-addiction centers is accessible through the portal.

“Many patients are even not getting medicines on re-visit,” stated Jain.
In response to the farmers’ “Delhi Chalo” protest, the Haryana government on Tuesday extended the ban on bulk SMS services and mobile internet in seven districts till Wednesday.

Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa are the districts that are impacted. The mobile internet ban was previously extended by the authorities on February 13, 15, 17, and 19.

The Haryana Additional Chief Secretary, T V S N Prasad, stated in the order that “conditions are still critical and tense in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa districts after assessment of the prevailing law and order situation in the state.” In the aforementioned districts, Prasad stated, “there is a clear potential of disruption of public utilities, damage to public assets and amenities, and disturbance of public law and order due to misuse of internet services by way of the spread of inflammatory material and false rumours.”

Government’s Response and Legal Standpoint Farmers Protest.

•The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, Section 5, and the 2017 Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, Rule 2, are the legal bases for this order.

•The ruling states that the ban on mobile internet services, bulk SMS (except from banking and cell recharge), and all dongle services—aside from voice calls—offered on mobile networks within the seven districts’ purview has been extended until February 21.

•In order to avoid upsetting the peace or public order, the order has been extended and will remain in effect until February 21.

The Unconventional War Room Farmers Protest

The farm leaders have set up a makeshift war room on a tractor trolley and are armed with walkie-talkies. This area will be used as a forum for talks throughout the demonstration. To get around the absence of internet-based communication, the marching leaders will use walkie-talkies to direct the crowd and hold meetings.
Twelve walkie-talkies that were reportedly obtained during the 2020–21 farmer’s protest at the Delhi borders have reportedly proven to be extremely useful this time around. These devices, which have a communication range of around four kilometers, allow union officials to talk to each other even when they are at different ends of the three-kilometer protest location that is located on the national highway