The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has called on the central government to withhold authorisation for Elon Musk's Starlink to launch its commercial satellite broadband operations across India, citing what it describes as national security concerns.
Musk had previously claimed that certain unnamed oligarchs were obstructing Starlink's entry into the Indian market — a position the government publicly disputed. A government filing described the country's regulatory framework for satellite communication services as one that treats all parties on equal and impartial terms.
The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, pointing to what it described as ongoing public order pressures across the country, put forward the position that online platforms frequently spread unverified information and content it characterised as working against national interests. National co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan argued in a written statement that temporarily cutting off internet access can become a necessary measure when authorities are managing situations involving separatist activity, terrorism, or comparable events.
The SJM draws its economic focus from the RSS, an organisation that has served as a foundational influence on the Bharatiya Janata Party, which currently holds power in government. The SJM backed the position that internet traffic originating in India should pass through gateways located within the country rather than being routed via overseas infrastructure, a routing arrangement that Mahajan described as a government priority on the grounds that domestic pathways support lawful oversight and enforcement.
Responding to remarks made by Elon Musk about the regulatory approval process for Starlink's commercial satellite broadband services in India, Mahajan stated that Musk had directed criticism at both Indian businesses and the government through indirect channels. Mahajan noted that the public statements could reflect either a calculated effort to generate pressure on the government ahead of a licensing decision, or simply an expression of personal displeasure on Musk's part.
Mahajan noted that Starlink's inter-satellite laser links — which route data between orbiting nodes before any ground station receives it — present compliance difficulties for regulators, with authorities now reviewing whether the architecture allows data to circumvent domestic gateway controls when security contingencies arise. One condition regulators have set is that Starlink be capable of restricting its services at the direction of the government; according to Mahajan, Starlink had not confirmed it would meet that condition, nor was it clear whether the technology itself would allow for such restrictions. Starlink's ability to fulfil those outlined requirements remains in question.
Citing recorded incidents spanning Ukraine, Iran, Russia, China, Taiwan, South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, Sudan, and a range of additional nations, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch put forward the case that satellite internet platforms — Starlink among them — warrant regulatory attention on the grounds that non-state actors, smugglers, and armed groups operating beyond standard telecommunications networks could gain access to such technology in ways that raise security considerations. Mahajan identified Ukraine, Iran, Russia, China, and Taiwan as the five nations whose situations carry the most weight for any national security analysis.
The organisation noted that the absence of a licence for Starlink does not prevent satellite-based internet from being made available across India, with Mahajan adding that even a modest postponement in rolling out domestically developed services would still leave room for providers to deliver connectivity at rates lower than those Starlink would charge, without compromising national security considerations.
Mahajan argued that restricting Starlink access would carry a secondary diplomatic function — signalling to trade partners, including the United States, that retaliatory measures remain available to India when its exports, such as handicraft goods, face tariff barriers justified on national security grounds by those same partners.
