The government has ordered telecom companies to shutdown internet services in parts of central Delhi, particularly in areas surrounding Jantar Mantar, the site of the ongoing students’ protests, The Indian Express has learnt. Mobile data services in areas as far as the Mandi House metro station, over two kilometres away from the site have also been impacted.A senior industry executive said that the internet suspension was initially issued to be valid till 4 pm on Thursday, and was applicable for a radius of around 1.5 kilometres around Jantar Mantar. The order has now been revised to be in force until midnight, it is understood.Also Read | CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Live: Opposition MPs head to Gandhi memorial after meet at Rahul Gandhi’s homeInternet connectivity remained patchy, and in many cases absent in various parts of central Delhi since the early hours of Thursday. Users, who aren’t participating in the protests, but happened to be in the area for work, were also impacted. Thousands who had gathered to participate in the protest were unable to make calls or messages.A message received by an Airtel user, and reviewed by The Indian Express, near the Mandi House area on Thursday morning read: “Dear customer, as per Government directive, internet services have been temporarily stopped in your area. Inconvenience caused is regretted. Team Airtel.” To be sure, the Mandi House area is not the epicentre of the protests, and houses a number of businesses.Authorities in India have repeatedly resorted to targeted internet shutdowns during protests and other law-and-order situations, arguing that they help curb misinformation and prevent violence. However, such suspensions also disrupt everyday life for people, affecting digital payments, app-based transport, communication, navigation, and access to essential online services, while imposing costs on businesses and daily wage earners.Also Read | ExplainSpeaking: Share of education Budget has shrunk under Modi govt. Here is where it stands, and what this meansHotels in the area, which charge a fee to park vehicles, were telling people that they would only accept cash payments. A number of shopkeepers in the area complained that they were unable to accept payments through UPI. Impacted users were unable to make or receive calls through platforms like WhatsApp, and normal phone calls were also proving to be inconsistent due to network congestion near the protest site.“My business is down. People usually rely on UPI for making small purchases, but because the internet is not working, I am unable to accept those payments,” a small road-side tea-seller said.Story continues below this adAlso Read | ‘Lathis with nails’: High Court seeks police response on Delhi protest ‘brutalities’The order is currently secretive, and the government has not made a copy of the internet suspension directive public.Queries sent to telecom companies Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Department of Telecommunications seeking information on the reason and duration of the internet shutdown, and the specific areas impacted, remained unanswered until publication.A similar mobile internet suspension was also ordered in parts of central Delhi on July 20, when the students’ protest gathered substantial steam. A copy of that order is yet to be made public too.During the previous internet shutdown, the Delhi-based digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation had said, “Residents of the capital do not know which authority directed the shutdown, on what grounds, over which precise areas, for which services, or for what duration. An unpublished order is an unaccountable order”.Story continues below this adAlso Read | ‘It felt right’: Delivery workers find purpose amid CJP protestIt added that as per a landmark judgement by the Supreme Court in 2020, the court had directed that every order suspending telecom services must be published, with reasons recorded in writing, holding that the freedom of speech and expression, and the freedom to carry on trade or business through the medium of the internet were protected under the Indian Constitution.According to the Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024, notified on 22 November 2024, an internet suspension order can be issued only by the Union Home Secretary or the State Home Secretary, and by an officer not below the rank of a Joint Secretary in “unavoidable circumstances”.