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The Indian government has employed internet crackdowns as a key tactic to suppress the farmers’ protests, both in the 2020-21 agitation and the renewed protests starting in 2024. According to Newsclick, authorities imposed temporary internet blackouts in protest-affected areas, such as seven districts in Haryana during 2024, aiming to disrupt communication among farmers and prevent the spread of information about the protests. Similar shutdowns were used during the 2020-21 protests, including suspending mobile internet services in key protest zones around Delhi.
There has also been a targeted removal of social media accounts: the government issued executive orders to platforms like X to take down accounts of journalists, farmers’ union leaders and supporters reporting on or backing the protests, limiting the movement’s online visibility and outreach.
Overall, internet shutdowns and social media censorship have been significant tools in the state’s efforts to curb the farmers’ agitation and limit both domestic and international awareness and support. This, in part, explains why the renewed farmers’ agitation in India has not garnered the same level of global support as the 2020-21 protest.
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Meanwhile, the government accelerates digital and corporate-friendly reforms with enthusiasm. The promised MSP committee and related guarantees remain pending, exposing a gap between political rhetoric and action. And that gap persists because the aim is to make agriculture financially non-viable for smallholders, who make up the bulk of India’s farmers, drive them to the cities and amalgamate their lands for the benefit of global agribusiness, industrialised agriculture and institutional land investors.
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