Artists, historians, academics and concerned citizens have issued a statement on September 20 saying that they are greatly disturbed by the shutdown in communication network for well over five weeks  in Jammu and Kashmir which is causing extreme hardship to the people there. Family members outside Jammu and Kashmir are unable to contact their relatives in the state; students cannot receive funds from their families; and acute distress is being faced by patients unable to access medical help.

They called on the government to lift the communications blockade immediately so that our fellow citizens are spared this suffering.

Signatories to the statement include Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib, Zoya Hasan, Prabhat Patnaik, Syeda Hameed, M K Raina, Vivan Sundaram and others.