Tripura Sees First Ever Road Blockade Over Internet Outage: Protesters Demand Digital Connectivity in Remote Dumbur Region
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, July 25, 2025
Until now, road blockades across Tripura were mostly driven by demands for drinking water, teachers in schools, uninterrupted electricity, or road repairs. But for the first time, the state witnessed an unprecedented protest on Thursday, a road blockade demanding uninterrupted internet services.
The incident took place in the remote tribal dominated area of Dumbur’s Mandirghat under Karbook Assembly Constituency, where local residents blocked the Mandirghat–Jatanbari road from yesterday morning, around 7 AM. The protest was staged by tribal residents frustrated over years of digital disconnection caused by poor telecom infrastructure, particularly the lack of reliable service from BSNL, the only telecom service provider in the region.
Residents allege that despite multiple appeals to local elected representatives and officials of the telecom department, there has been no meaningful response or improvement. This digital blackout has effectively cut them off from the rest of the world, leaving them unable to access basic internet facilities, digital transactions, or social media platforms.
On Thursday, as hundreds of vehicles bound for Agartala were stranded for hours, frustration among the protestors grew. No government officials or BSNL representatives appeared at the scene, further angering the locals. Speaking to journalists, the demonstrators slammed the government’s claims of a “Digital India” and ridiculed the Tripura government’s frequent praise of its "HIRA Plus" model, referring to Highways, Internet, Railways, Airways, as meaningless for those still deprived of digital access.
One protestor asked, “Is this the HIRA Plus Tripura the Chief Minister boasts about? We are left out of digital India. We can’t do online transactions, we can’t access online education, we are invisible in the digital world.”
Even a BSF vehicle was stuck during the blockade and, despite repeated requests, was not allowed to pass through. Eventually, after long hours, most vehicles rerouted to alternate roads.
This protest raises serious questions about Tripura’s actual digital reach, especially in far-flung tribal regions. In an era where the world runs on data and connectivity, the people of Dumbur’s Mandirghat are still waiting for the basic infrastructure needed to be part of that progress.
The locals say they will continue the blockade until concrete steps are taken to address their demands. The region remains underserved not only by BSNL but also by private telecom giants like Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone, none of whom have extended their networks to the area.
As the digital divide widens, the protest highlights not just a failure of telecom service providers, but also a critical lapse in the “double engine” governance model touted by the BJP-led government. Whether the state will respond meaningfully to this digital outcry remains to be seen.
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