Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an offshoot of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has urged the union government not to give permission to Elon Musk’s Starlink to roll out its commercial satellite broadband services in India, citing national security concerns.
“Elon Musk has chosen to make allegations on Indian businesses and the government indirectly. It appears that Starlink is perhaps not prepared to meet those specific requirements. “The Indian government is examining this system to ensure that data cannot bypass Indian gateways during security-related emergencies. The government had recently imposed an internet ban during the ongoing protest against the election commission.
This comes after Elon Musk alleged that Starlink was being “blocked by certain oligarchs” in India, an assertion the government rejected. In its response, the Centre had said that India’s regulatory framework for satellite communication services was “fair and non-discriminatory”. Claiming that India is “grappling with various law-and-order challenges”, the SJM said in the current situation “,internet-based social media often fuels rumours and anti-national narratives. “Disrupting internet services frequently becomes essential to maintain law and order during instances of separatism, terrorism, riots, protests, and similar events,” SJM’s national co-Convenor Ashwani Mahajan said in a strongly worded statement. “Government wants Indian traffic routed through gateways within India,” Mahajan said. Consequently, it seems Elon Musk is either attempting to secure the license by creating public pressure against the government or is making these statements out of frustration,” Mahajan said. A key regulatory condition is that Starlink must be able to precisely restrict its services at the government’s behest; however, Starlink has not committed to meet this requirement, or its technology may not permit it,” he said. The SJM said such interventions are necessary to check misuse of technology as satellite internet could be used by “hostile actors, smugglers or insurgent groups to communicate beyond conventional telecom networks.”
