Chandigarh, India
Internet cut for days: Indian authorities cut mobile internet access and text messaging for all of Punjab, a state of 27 million people, for four days this week as they searched for a Sikh separatist leader. Officials said they feared Amritpal Singh would organize violent protests and spread “fake news” if he had access to communications. Singh, 30, became India’s most wanted criminal last month when he called for an armed uprising to create a new Sikh state of Khalistan in much of Punjabi territory. Authorities cut off the state’s internet after a video livestreamed to Facebook showed Singh inside his car, speeding through the countryside with police cars in pursuit. Pro-Singh protests were relatively subdued in Punjab, but abroad, his followers attacked Indian embassies and consulates.