An increase in internet shutdowns since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014 has raised questions about online rights under his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Government officials ordered 42 internet shutdowns between January and August, compared to six times in all of 2014, according to data from the New Delhi-based advocacy group Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC).
Internet suspensions typically follow incidents of civil unrest, which have included protests by a minority group calling for more government jobs and public violence caused by a Facebook post.
Nalin Kohli, a national spokesperson for the BJP, said suspending access to the internet was acceptable in cases "where rumour-mongering or motivated misinformation could lead to the incitement of violence".
Internet suspensions have affected 11 states this year compared to just one in 2012, according toSFLC data.