Airtel deactivates phone numbers, does not enable again without Aadhaar

Shamya Dasgupta’s Airtel phone number was deactivated. When he approached customer care, he was told to provide an Aadhaar and get a new SIM. While at the Airtel outlet, he met several other people in the same situation.

Why was it done? Why was I forced to submit my Aadhar number? And put my finger on the device? Can Airtel undo this? Surely you realise that what was done was illegal, right?

— Shamya Dasgupta (@shamyad) January 18, 2018

Several people have complained about this on social media.

Hello @Airtel_Presence are you quietly blocking sims not linked to Aadhaar?

Many people who are following me are saying that when customer care is contacted they are demanding Aadhaar to replace SIM.

If its true, what sort of shameful coercion tactics you are employing?

— James Wilson (@jamewils) January 10, 2018

They blocked my sim because I didn't link my Aadhaar. When I contacted the customer care, they told me my number is active, I just have to issue a new sim card. And that required linking of Aadhaar.

— Pranjal (@Cognisant_) January 14, 2018

Happened to me too!!!!

— Kurshi (@Kurshi) January 10, 2018

Thanks for your concern. I got a new sim and it is working now. Airtel didn’t tell me what was the issue with the old sim and there were many people who had similar problems with airtel.

— Kurshi (@Kurshi) January 11, 2018

This happened with me about 2 weeks ago. They said they would issue a replacement SIM for a faulty SIM only after 4 days since I don't have Aadhaar. Only after several calls and mails later did they reinstated connection on new SIM within the day.

— Asutosh J G (@asutoshjg) January 10, 2018

This is particularly effective coercion, because the Aadhaar itself being linked to the phone, if a person has deactivated biometrics for safety, they can get completely locked out of their Aadhaar and can no longer abandon a SIM over telecom operator malpractice. Essentially, the Aadhaar holder has no alternative but to link the Aadhaar to the phone.

Airtel has denied this malpractice.

process, hence we recommend Aadhaar based SIM replacement. If you need help with your SIM, please drop us a DM with the respective airtel number and we will quickly get in touch. Thanks! – Tanumita 2/2 https://t.co/dyuxaVYE4f

— Bharti Airtel India (@Airtel_Presence) January 15, 2018

However, it doesn’t explain how countless people are reporting exactly this phenomenon with their service: SIM deactivated. On contacting customer care, they are told they will require new SIM and that can only be obtained with Aadhaar. When they go to get the new SIM, they meet many other people in the same situation. Either Airtel as a telecom service provider is collapsing, or they are flat out lying in public while using illegal methods to exploit Aadhaar AGAIN. Deactivated SIMs are not reactivated, because SIM reactivation does not require Aadhaar, but procuring new SIMs does – due to illegal orders being imposed on people.

In the past, Airtel has opened bank accounts of people validating their SIMs with Aadhaar without their knowledge and appropriated their subsidies into Airtel accounts the customers didn’t even know they had. And there are Aadhaar linking scams as well. People have used the issuing of a new SIM to steal money from bank accounts.

Forcing people to link their Aadhaar to their SIM card before March 31, 2018 illegally denies citizens the right to wait for the Supreme Court to uphold their fundamental rights.

We have already seen that the UIDAI cannot prevent malpractice of this sort, because they cannot afford to suspend the Aadhaar licences for banks or telecoms. So whether AXIS Bank or Airtel, they know. No matter what they do, if it forces people to link Aadhaar, UIDAI will only approve. If they get caught in rampant illegality, at best their licence will be suspended for a few days.