Guwahati: Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi has expressed serious concern over the suspension of mobile internet services in Assam on grounds of conducting recruitment exams.
Nagaon MP Bordoloi in a letter to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged the Assam government to reconsider the decision to suspend internet services in the public interest.
The Assam government has decided to suspend mobile Internet services for four hours on August 21 and August 28 in the districts where the Assam Direct Recruitment Examinations 2022 for filling up vacancies in Class III and Class IV posts are conducted.
The examinations are being conducted for recruitment to nearly 30,000 Grade III and Grade IV posts.
The exams are being conducted in 25 of the 35 districts in Assam.
“This decision of the government of Assam is concerning in light of the provisions of the Telegraph Act 1885 (Section 5(2)) and Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services Rules 2017 which empower Union and State Governments to suspend internet services ‘on the occurrence of a public emergency or in the interest of public safety’ further defined by the Supreme Court in Anuradha Bharin v. Union of India.
“Moreover, internet suspension for conducting examinations has already been held to be disproportionate and unjustified on grounds of public emergency or public safety, as ordered by The Hon’ble High Coon of West Bengal at Calcutta in Ashlesh Birader v Slate of West Bengal in March 2022,” Bordoloi mentioned in the letter.
He said that in the light of the growing frequency and over-reliance on interact shutdowns in India, which currently sees the highest number of internet shutdowns in the world, it is crucial to reiterate the disproportionate nature of this measure and its impact on the right to speech, right livelihood, and access to information, education and health.
“I urge the Government of Assam to reconsider in the public interest this decision, if any, and ensure compliance with the concerned rules and judicial directives regarding safeguards to be followed while exercising the power to suspend the Internet,” added the Lok Sabha MP from Assam.
Borodoloi further urged the Assam Government to place formal notifications regarding such decisions in the public domain, so that citizens are not left to solely depend on speculative media reports and determine the veracity of such reports as well.