Kokrajhar violence: Internet shutdown deepens civilian suffering

Kokrajhar/Chirang, Jan 21: When violence erupted in Karigaon village of Kokrajhar following a mob attack over suspected cattle theft that left two person dead on January 19, the district administration moved swiftly.

Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were imposed, and mobile internet services were suspended to prevent the situation from spiralling further.

In a notification issued on January 20, the District Magistrate of Kokrajhar said the orders were issued in view of “simmering tensions among multiple sections of society and escalating violent activities between two ethnic groups in vulnerable areas of the district”.

For Chirang, the administration followed suit, saying there were “sufficient grounds for proceeding under Section 163, BNSS, 2023, in order to maintain a peaceful environment”.

The twin measures are a familiar, pan-India emergency response aimed at curbing rumours and preventing potential escalation of the law-and-order situation through social media.

On the ground, however, the situation went beyond crowd control. As mobile phones slipped back to the early 2000s, another crisis quietly unfolded that affected students, job aspirants, interns and ordinary citizens alike, all already living under the shadow of violence.

Students pay the price

For Protishruti, a second-year Higher Secondary student of Kokrajhar University, the shutdown came at the worst possible time—just weeks before her final examinations. “For exams, I often access study materials through Google or YouTube. Whether it is projects or assignments, we are dependent on the internet,” she said.

The moment she heard about the suspension, panic set in. “The first question that came to my mind was how I would access reference material, quick fact-checks or model test papers,” she said.

Studying without digital access, she explained, has created a mental block. “A disturbing and confusing environment has taken shape. Whether books will be enough, how to get materials—these thoughts keep coming,” she added.

While she admits the shutdown may have been necessary to control unrest, the collateral damage, she said, is real. “For students and officials who work online, it’s not a good situation. I am coping using existing books. Anything that needs the internet is left for when it is restored,” she said.

Over the past two days since internet services were cut in both districts, Protishruti is not the only student to have borne the brunt of the administration’s emergency move.

At the Central Institute of Technology (CIT), Kokrajhar, sixth-semester student Nishant Thakur said the shutdown cut the most basic academic lifeline, communication. “The moment the internet was suspended, it caused major trouble. We lost communication with teachers,” he said.

With an online internship under way, Nishant has been home due to curfew. “I could not submit my internship work. All the tools I use require the internet. My work has been delayed,” he said.

WhatsApp groups, once the backbone of official communication, have fallen silent. “It’s not clear when classes will begin. Some students reach campus only to find classes have been called off. Two of our classes were cancelled because we couldn’t contact the teacher,” he added.

While acknowledging the rationale behind the shutdown, Nishant underlined its uneven burden. “If the suspension is preventing unrest, then it’s fine. But personally, I’ve only been suffering. My friends are facing the same situation,” he said.

For Rashida Khatun, a CTET aspirant from Chirang, the shutdown has triggered acute anxiety. Her examination is scheduled for February 8. “I completed my MA and BEd and was preparing online for CTET. Now, I am in a fix,” she said.

With no access to online notes or video lectures, she fears the worst. “Most apps don’t even open without the internet. Over 90 per cent of things take place online. I might not even clear my examination,” she said.

Rashida also worries about the regional disadvantage frequent shutdowns create. “I have friends in Barpeta and Dhubri who are preparing well. We feel our time has been lost,” she said.

Disconnected at every turn

The suspension also affected people travelling through the region. As tensions flared on the morning of January 20, locals gheraoed the Karigaon police outpost and blocked National Highway 27.

“We were supposed to stay the night, but requested the management to send us back,” a visitor en route to Kokrajhar said, requesting anonymity.

With highways blocked and internet services suspended, reaching out for help became difficult. “After the internet was cut, it became very hard to reach people through digital platforms. Several travellers were forced to turn back after being unable to cross National Highway 27,” she added.

In recent years, Assam has witnessed multiple internet suspensions amid ethnic tensions and protests. Over the past three months, the state has imposed repeated shutdowns in Sixth Schedule areas.

In December 2025, the government temporarily suspended mobile internet services in Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts after violent clashes erupted between groups over the eviction of alleged encroachers from Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) and Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) lands.

Violent clashes erupted outside the newly constructed Baksa District Jail on October 2025 (Photo: AT)

A month earlier, in October 2025, mobile internet services were suspended across Baksa district following violent protests triggered by the transfer of five accused in the death case of popular musician Zubeen Garg to the newly built Baksa District Jail.

Independent social worker Pankaj Islary said the shutdown has affected nearly every aspect of daily life. “The general public does almost everything through the internet now. It has caused huge problems,” he said.

While he acknowledged the rationale behind the decision, particularly the need to curb rumour circulation, he pointed to its practical fallout. “When we visited injured victims of the mob attack, it was difficult to communicate with others to apprise them about the on-ground situation as there was no WhatsApp,” he said. He also flagged the digital divide. “Those who have access to Wi-Fi are not facing as much difficulty.”

As of Wednesday, Protishruti’s Political Science assignment remained unfinished—a small but telling sign of the disruption caused by the shutdown. As Kokrajhar and Chirang slowly return to normalcy, a larger question remains - how long can education, opportunity and daily life be treated as collateral damage in crisis control?

For students facing exams, aspirants chasing opportunities and workers dependent on digital systems, uncertainty lingers well beyond the unrest.