Delhi internet shutdown covered nine sites, not just Jantar Mantar, says MHA order

The suspension of mobile internet services in Delhi on October 10 was not limited to the area around Jantar Mantar. An order issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on October 9 covered nine locations in the Capital, including eight sports complexes and community centres that the Delhi Police had converted into temporary detention centres.

Under the order, all mobile internet technologies were suspended within a 500-metre radius of each of the designated locations from 12 noon to 10 p.m. on October 10. The measure was enforced under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024. The order was issued by the Union Home Secretary and addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police, for implementation.

The Home Secretary stated that the step was necessary in the interest of public safety and for averting a public emergency, to maintain public order, and to prevent incitement to offences.

The eight facilities named in the order were Chhatrasaal Stadium in Model Town; Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Bawana; the Yamuna Sports Complex; the Jasola Sports Complex; the Community Centre in Daulatpur; the Community Centre in Pandwala Khurd; Jangli Ram Stadium in Nizampur, Kanjhawala; and Surajmal Stadium in Nangloi. The ninth location covered by the restrictions was the area around Jantar Mantar.

According to the order, Delhi Police had turned multiple sports complexes and community centres across the city into temporary holding facilities as part of arrangements to prevent protesters from assembling at Jantar Mantar. Around 2,500 persons detained from various locations were taken to these centres and released later in the day.

The security arrangements were in place ahead of a proposed protest that sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The restrictions applied only to mobile internet services within the specified radius and for the specified period; the order did not place a blanket shutdown across Delhi.

Temporary suspension of telecom services in India is governed by the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and the rules framed under it in 2024. Such orders must be issued by a competent authority, state the grounds for the restriction and the area and period covered, and are open to judicial review. In its 2020 judgment in Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India, the Supreme Court held that an indefinite suspension of internet services is impermissible, and that any restriction must be proportionate, narrowly tailored and published so that those affected can challenge it.

India has recorded among the highest numbers of internet shutdowns globally in recent years, according to independent trackers that monitor such orders. Successive governments have defended the measures as necessary tools for maintaining public order, while digital rights groups have argued that blanket or repeated suspensions affect livelihoods, access to healthcare and education, and the free flow of information.

This report is based on the Home Ministry order and the details of the detentions as reported. The names of the eight facilities and the duration of the suspension are as set out in that order.