New Delhi: The internet shutdown in Manipur has been extended by another five days, until 7:45 pm on October 11. The previous order lapsed on October 6.After five months of blockade, the internet had been restored in the state on September 23. However, within three days, the internet ban was back in place, with the state government citing law and order issues.The latest order issued by the Manipur home department, on October 6, said, “There is apprehension that some anti-social elements might use social media extensively for transmission of images, hate speech and hate video messages inciting the passions of the public which might have serious repercussions for the law and order situation in the state of Manipur.”Manipur government order on internet ban.Fresh violence has begun to flare up in the state since the last week of September, with student groups protesting the killing of Luwangbi Linthoingambi Hijam (17), a female student, and a young male student named Phijam Hemanjit Singh (20). They had gone missing on July 20 as ethnic violence raged across the state. Although they were killed in July, the photographs of their dead bodies have begun to circulate widely after the internet was restored in the state, on September 23.This triggered a wave of agitations, especially from student groups. About 100 students who attempted to march towards chief minister N. Biren Singh’s house in Imphal were stopped by security forces, and the resulting pandemonium injured a number of students, IANS reported.While the government has claimed that the internet was used to spread rumours, reports from the ground and expert opinion suggest otherwise. The suspension has hindered the flow of information that could have revealed the true scale of violence, critics of shutdowns say. Emergency services have also been hit by the blanket ban.One ground report said that in the absence of internet, “news and updates of events were often distorted. Information was distributed by those in positions of power, to shape a narrative that suited their convenience”.