Mobile internet to be suspended again in Assam on August 28

The Assam government will suspend mobile internet for four hours again on Sunday for a test to be conducted for recruitment in government jobs.

Many had opposed the suspension of mobile internet on August 21, when the first phase of the test was conducted for recruitment in grade III and grade IV jobs in various departments of the state government. Citing inconvenience to the public and those depending on mobile internet for business and other activities, many demanded that the internet suspension should not be repeated on Sunday.

But the state government got a boost on Friday when the Gauhati High court dismissed a writ petition seeking a stay on the government’s decision. Raju Prosad Sarma, a social worker in Guwahati had moved the high court seeking a directive from the court for a stay on the government’s move to suspend mobile internet.

The state government said the move was aimed to ensure “free, fair and transparent” conduct of the recruitment test and to check unfair means.

The Opposition Congress, however, said that such strong measures suggested the state government’s failure to conduct an examination without causing inconvenience to others. In a letter to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress’ Lok Sabha member from Nagaon constituency, Pardyut Bordoloi said that the Telegraph Act 1985 and the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services Rules 2017 empowers the government to suspend internet on the occurrence of a public emergency or in the interest of public safety only.