NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2019) Indian mobile telecommunications operators in the state of Assam completely restored internet access on Friday, after the government lifted an order to restrict services amid a week of mass protests against a controversial amendment to India's citizenship law, the operator Bharti Airtel stated.
"We did not receive any further communication from the government to continue with the ban, so we resumed the service for our customers," a senior Bharti Airtel employee told the PTI news agency.
On Tuesday, internet access was first restored in Assam's largest city, Guwahati. The complete lifting of restrictions in the entire state took place at 09:00 local time (03:30 GMT).
Mobile internet access was also restricted in 10 other Indian cities on Thursday, amid widespread protests against a controversial amendment to India's citizenship law. The newly proposed amendment, which has been approved by both houses of the Indian parliament, states that non-Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan have the right to apply for Indian citizenship.
The amendment has been protested fiercely by Indian Muslims, who view the decision to exclude Muslims from the right to apply for Indian citizenship as unconstitutional. Human rights watchdogs and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom have also criticized the amendment.
