Background

Kashmir’s Internet Siege, a report by Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society(JKCCS), provides an overview of the harms, costs and consequences of the digital siege in Jammu & Kashmir, from August 2019 to the publication of this report in August 2020. It examines the shutdown and network disruptions through a broad-based and multi-dimensional human rights framework that sees internet access as vital in the contemporary world.

Objective

The report is a missive addressed to the human rights and digital rights community about the breadth and forms of this collective punishment, as put by JKCCS. The design aim was to echo the frank reportage, armed with proofs—hyperlinks for each entry, to make the print as well as the digital presence reflect loud dissent.

Design

The design draws strong inspiration from Russian Constructivist Movement of the 1910s trying to reflect the resilience and resourcefulness of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, who refuse to be silenced. Other than being a counterpart to the printed report, the web version carries an interactive timeline with hyperlinks making it more accessible for drilling down and simplifying the complex sequence of events across 300 days.

A visual voice against this state implemented gag order was reflected in the use of bold sans serif typeface, loud and angled layouts, with deliberate use of red and black to mark protest. The stippled illustrations juxtaposed with bold type try to resonate the truth, despair and anger that comes across in the report.

The report is designed for digital reach, to be accessed in 2G connectivity. The timeline on the web version takes two distinct tracks, of state vs people, with the communication mediums and their availability marked clearly. The timeline runs across all devices letting the plight of the digitally stranded people of the valley sink in slowly as they scroll across. Any given day is accompanied by the regulation clamped down by the state and its impact on the people.