Bryan Akoijam had spent years building up his entertainment company in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur. Between his thriving YouTube channel, which attracted 9m views a month, as well as running a local cinema and promoting regional films, he had brought on over a dozen staff. Business, he says, was good. That was, until 3 May, when the internet in the state was suddenly and unilaterally cut off.
On Saturday, Manipur’s mobile internet was finally turned back on after over 140 days. But for those such as Akoijam, the consequences of an almost five month blackout have been devastating.
