Iran hit by nationwide internet blackout as economic protests intensify
Tehran: Iran experienced a nationwide internet blackout on Thursday due to protests over a deepening economic crisis, according to online monitoring group NetBlocks. The group said the disruption followed a series of escalating digital restrictions intented to curb protests and limited public communication at a critical moment.
Demonstrations have spread across several Iranian cities since late December, driven by anger over rising living costs and devaluation of the national currency. The unrest resulted in at least 21 people reported killed since the protests began, according to figures compiled by AFP based on local media and official statements.
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Reporting from Tehran early on Friday, Al Jazeera correspondent Tohid Asadi said thousands of people gathered across multiple neighbourhoods of the capital from around 8 pm local time on Thursday. He said several streets were blocked and clashes erupted between protesters and police, with chants and slogans directed against the political establishment echoing through parts of the city. Asadi noted that economic pressure had eroded public confidence, particularly among working and lower middle-class families struggling to meet daily expenses.
Iranian authorities have issued mixed signals in response to the unrest. President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged restraint in handling the protests, while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this week said rioters must be “put in their place”. Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei accused demonstrators of acting in coordination with the United States and Israel and warned that there would be no leniency for those accused of creating insecurity.
International concern has also mounted. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for steps to prevent further loss of life and urged Iranian authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. His spokesperson said individuals must be allowed to protest peacefully and voice their grievances.
Human rights group Amnesty International said on Tuesday that security forces raided Imam Khomeini Hospital in the western city of Ilam, firing tear gas, damaging property and assaulting people inside, while attempting to detain injured protesters. The organisation called on Iranian authorities to halt the unlawful use of force, stop arbitrary arrests in hospitals, ensure medical care for the injured and respect the neutrality of healthcare facilities.
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Ballari violence: Were cops made scapegoats to cover political failure?
Bengaluru: Across Karnataka, a serious discussion has begun after the violence in Ballari and the swift action taken against police officers who were on the ground that day. The core question being asked is simple: when law and order fails, why are police officers the first to be shown the door, while political responsibility is quietly pushed aside?
The January 1 clash in Ballari was not a sudden street fight. It was a political confrontation involving supporters of two sitting MLAs. A banner related to the unveiling of a Valmiki statue became the flashpoint. What followed was stone-pelting, firing, and the death of a Congress worker. The situation spiralled within hours.
Within a day, Ballari SP Pavan Nejjur was suspended. Soon after, senior officers were reshuffled. Deputy Inspector General of Police Vartika Katiyar was transferred. No official reason was cited in the notification. But the timing made one thing clear: accountability, at least on paper, had been fixed.
Since then, there has been unease within police circles and political debate outside it.
Unconfirmed reports that Nejjur attempted suicide after his suspension were firmly denied by senior officers and the home minister. They said he was safe, resting, and under stress. Still, the very fact that such reports gained traction says something about the pressure officers feel when action is taken overnight, without public clarity.
Opposition leaders have called Nejjur a scapegoat, pointing out that he had taken charge only hours before the violence. They have asked how an officer can be blamed for a political clash he barely had time to assess. They have also drawn parallels with earlier incidents where police leadership was suspended after tragedies, while political decision-making remained untouched.
However, responding to this criticism, Home Minister G Parameshwara rejected the argument that the suspension was unfair because Nejjur had assumed charge only hours earlier. “It is not important whether he reported to duty on the same day (of incident) or one hour back. Duty is duty. He is not new to the department. IPS officers are trained to handle such situations any time. If he had acted swiftly and promptly, he could have prevented the situation from escalating.” He had said adding that Nejjur did not discharge his duties properly and that this was the reason for his suspension.
Now, fresh and unconfirmed reports suggest that Vartika Katiyar may have met a senior cabinet minister, questioning why she was made to pay the price for a situation that was political in nature. There is no official confirmation of this meeting. But the talk itself has added fuel to the debate.
What is being discussed in the state is not whether the police made mistakes. Many acknowledge that the situation on January 1 was mishandled. A clash earlier in the day was allowed to cool down without strong preventive action. Later, a banner came up near a politically sensitive location. The crowd should not have been allowed to build up. Better anticipation was needed.
At the same time, critics are asking whether the entire burden can be placed on officers when the trigger itself was political rivalry. Who installed the banner? Who mobilised supporters? Who had armed private gunmen present at the spot? These are questions that are still part of the investigation, yet administrative punishment moved faster than political accountability.
This has led to a wider comparison with past incidents, including the Bengaluru stampede after the RCB victory celebrations. There too, police officers were suspended after lives were lost, while decisions taken at higher levels were defended as unavoidable. Many are now saying Ballari fits into the same pattern.
The argument being made is not that the police are blameless. The argument is that responsibility appears to stop at the uniform. When things go wrong, officers are transferred or suspended to send a message. But when the violence is rooted in political rivalry, that message feels incomplete.
Within police ranks, there is also quiet concern about working conditions. Officers say they are expected to manage volatile political situations overnight, often with little room to push back against powerful interests. When things hold, they are invisible. When they collapse, they stand alone.
The Ballari episode has once again exposed this fault line.
For the government, the challenge is larger than one suspension or transfer. The real test is whether it is willing to publicly acknowledge political failures when law and order breaks down, instead of letting the system suggest that the police alone dropped the ball.
For now, what remains is a growing feeling across Karnataka that accountability is selective. And that whenever politics turns violent, the easiest answer is to change the officers, not the decisions that led to the violence in the first place.
