As several regions in the state of Assam in northeastern Indian witnessed violent protests on Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Thursday to assuage the fears of local residents there.
Paradoxically, however, Modi’s tweets can't be read by his target audience, as internet connectivity had been shut off a day earlier following large-scale violence.
Many in the Twitterverse was quick to troll Modi over his message.
Internet service was originally set to remain off for 24 hours, but this figure was extended by 48 hours, starting at noon on Thursday.
India’s northeastern region continued to be on the edge on Thursday, as large scale violence erupted protesting the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which was passed by Indian parliament and awaits presidential assent, before it becomes a law.
The fear among the people in India’s north-eastern state of Assam, which had witnessed violence in the past over settlement of illegal immigrants, was that once the beneficiaries under the bill get citizenship, they would snatch away their job and livelihood opportunities.