{
  "id": 79,
  "slug": "2019-india-kashmir-communications-blackout",
  "title": "India imposes a communications blackout in Jammu and Kashmir after revoking the region's special status",
  "occurred_on": "2019-08-05",
  "occurred_on_precision": "day",
  "ended_on": null,
  "jurisdiction": "IN",
  "country": "IN",
  "continent": "asia",
  "level": "national",
  "type": null,
  "tactic_primary": "shutdowns_and_blocking",
  "leader_slug": "narendra-modi",
  "issue_of_the_day": "The Indian government's August 2019 revocation of Article 370, which had granted Jammu and Kashmir a degree of constitutional autonomy since 1949.",
  "outcome": "ongoing",
  "outcome_on": "2020-08-05",
  "outcome_note": "High-speed mobile internet remained restricted into 2020; the International Federation of Journalists reported the blackout as still affecting journalists' work a full year after it began.",
  "granularity": "anchor",
  "era": "2010s",
  "summary": "As it revoked Jammu and Kashmir's constitutional autonomy, India's government cut broadband, mobile internet, text messaging and phone service across the region, leaving local journalists unable to file stories, verify information or communicate with sources for months.{c:301}{c:302}{c:303}{c:304}{c:305}",
  "what_happened": "On August 5, 2019, India's government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which had granted the Muslim-majority region of Jammu and Kashmir a degree of autonomy, and split it into two federally administered territories. Ahead of the announcement, authorities cut broadband, mobile internet, text messaging and phone service across the region and detained several local political leaders. The government said the changes would bring stability and end \"separatism, terrorism, dynastic politics and corruption.\" Local journalists could not reach sources, verify information, send photographs or video, or in many cases confirm stories with editors outside the region; some had to travel to a government-run media center to use monitored internet access. Mobile and broadband internet were restored only in stages over the following months and year, and the International Federation of Journalists said journalists in Kashmir faced \"declining advertising revenues, job losses, pay cuts\" and \"self-censorship\" on top of the shutdown itself.{c:301}{c:302}{c:303}{c:304}{c:305}",
  "stated_justification": "The government said the change would bring stability to the region and end \"separatism, terrorism, dynastic politics and corruption\"; it did not separately justify the communications shutdown beyond citing broader public-order and security concerns.{c:302}",
  "effect_on_reporting": "Journalists could not reach sources, verify facts, send photographs or video, or confirm stories with editors, and the International Federation of Journalists said the disruption was \"an egregious violation of citizens' rights to information from a free press.\"{c:303}{c:305}",
  "unknowns": null,
  "status": "historical",
  "status_updated_on": "2026-09-22",
  "external_ids": {},
  "illustration_key": null,
  "pub_state": "published",
  "published_at": "2026-09-22T23:09:53Z",
  "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22",
  "next_review_on": "2026-12-22",
  "revision": 5,
  "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:09:47Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-23T00:10:32Z",
  "stage": "silence",
  "ladder_note": null,
  "country_name": "India",
  "tactics": [
    "shutdowns_and_blocking"
  ],
  "leader": {
    "slug": "narendra-modi",
    "name": "Narendra Modi",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/narendra-modi"
  },
  "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-india-kashmir-communications-blackout",
  "page_meta": {
    "published": "2026-09-22T23:09:53Z",
    "reviewed": "2026-09-22",
    "sources": 2,
    "status": "historical",
    "statusAsOf": "2026-09-22",
    "unknowns": null
  },
  "actors": [
    {
      "slug": "narendra-modi",
      "name": "Narendra Modi",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "ordered",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/narendra-modi"
    }
  ],
  "outlets": [],
  "journalists": [],
  "cases": [],
  "related": [],
  "events": [],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": 301,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 79,
      "field": "action",
      "value": "Communications cut across the board",
      "statement": "Broadband, mobile internet, text messaging and phone service were all cut across the region.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 244,
      "evidence_quote": "Broadband, mobile internet, text messaging and phone service have all been affected",
      "evidence_date": "2019-08-08",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:09:48Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 244,
        "url": "https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/08/tech/kashmir-internet-blackout-india-pakistan-intl-hnk/index.html",
        "final_url": "https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/08/tech/kashmir-internet-blackout-india-pakistan-intl-hnk/index.html",
        "title": "An internet blackout means no-one in Indian-controlled Kashmir can read this article",
        "publisher": "CNN",
        "published_on": "2019-08-08",
        "link_state": "paywalled",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/301"
    },
    {
      "id": 302,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 79,
      "field": "stated_justification",
      "value": "Government cites stability and ending separatism",
      "statement": "The government said the constitutional change would bring stability and end separatism and corruption.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 244,
      "evidence_quote": "the law change would bring stability and end 'separatism, terrorism, dynastic politics and corruption'",
      "evidence_date": "2019-08-08",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:09:48Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 244,
        "url": "https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/08/tech/kashmir-internet-blackout-india-pakistan-intl-hnk/index.html",
        "final_url": "https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/08/tech/kashmir-internet-blackout-india-pakistan-intl-hnk/index.html",
        "title": "An internet blackout means no-one in Indian-controlled Kashmir can read this article",
        "publisher": "CNN",
        "published_on": "2019-08-08",
        "link_state": "paywalled",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/302"
    },
    {
      "id": 303,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 79,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "Blackout called an egregious rights violation",
      "statement": "A source called the communications disruption an egregious violation of the right to information from a free press.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 244,
      "evidence_quote": "A large-scale communication disruption at such a crucial time for Kashmir is an egregious violation of citizens' rights to information from a free press",
      "evidence_date": "2019-08-08",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:09:49Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 244,
        "url": "https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/08/tech/kashmir-internet-blackout-india-pakistan-intl-hnk/index.html",
        "final_url": "https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/08/tech/kashmir-internet-blackout-india-pakistan-intl-hnk/index.html",
        "title": "An internet blackout means no-one in Indian-controlled Kashmir can read this article",
        "publisher": "CNN",
        "published_on": "2019-08-08",
        "link_state": "paywalled",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/303"
    },
    {
      "id": 304,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 79,
      "field": "status",
      "value": "High-speed mobile data still restricted a year on",
      "statement": "High-speed mobile internet in Kashmir remained restricted a year after the blackout began.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 245,
      "evidence_quote": "the block on high speed mobile 4G internet in Kashmir has continued until now.",
      "evidence_date": "2020-08-05",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:09:50Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 245,
        "url": "https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/article/india-a-grim-milestone-365-days-of-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir",
        "final_url": "https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/article/india-a-grim-milestone-365-days-of-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir",
        "title": "India: A grim milestone, 365 days of internet shutdown in Kashmir",
        "publisher": "International Federation of Journalists",
        "published_on": "2020-08-05",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/304"
    },
    {
      "id": 305,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 79,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "IFJ documents economic harm to journalists",
      "statement": "The IFJ documented declining advertising revenue, job losses and pay cuts among Kashmiri journalists.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 245,
      "evidence_quote": "The shutdown of media-houses, declining advertising revenues, job losses, pay cuts, lack of professional safety, self-censorship and the general curtailing of freedom of expression are some of the impacts.",
      "evidence_date": "2020-08-05",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:09:50Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 245,
        "url": "https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/article/india-a-grim-milestone-365-days-of-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir",
        "final_url": "https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/article/india-a-grim-milestone-365-days-of-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir",
        "title": "India: A grim milestone, 365 days of internet shutdown in Kashmir",
        "publisher": "International Federation of Journalists",
        "published_on": "2020-08-05",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/305"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": 244,
      "url": "https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/08/tech/kashmir-internet-blackout-india-pakistan-intl-hnk/index.html",
      "final_url": "https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/08/tech/kashmir-internet-blackout-india-pakistan-intl-hnk/index.html",
      "title": "An internet blackout means no-one in Indian-controlled Kashmir can read this article",
      "publisher": "CNN",
      "published_on": "2019-08-08",
      "link_state": "paywalled",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
      "wayback_saved_at": null
    },
    {
      "id": 245,
      "url": "https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/article/india-a-grim-milestone-365-days-of-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir",
      "final_url": "https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/article/india-a-grim-milestone-365-days-of-internet-shutdown-in-kashmir",
      "title": "India: A grim milestone, 365 days of internet shutdown in Kashmir",
      "publisher": "International Federation of Journalists",
      "published_on": "2020-08-05",
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
      "wayback_saved_at": null
    }
  ],
  "revisions_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-india-kashmir-communications-blackout/revisions",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  },
  "cite_as": "India imposes a communications blackout in Jammu and Kashmir after revoking the region's special status. The War On News, thewaronnews.com. https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-india-kashmir-communications-blackout. Retrieved 2026-09-23."
}