The Centre should deny Starlink permission to launch satellite broadband services in India unless the company addresses national-security concerns, the RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch said on Tuesday.
The demand comes amid a public spat between Starlink owner Elon Musk and industrialist Mukesh Ambani. Musk recently shared screenshots of media reports alleging that a Reliance-funded firm helped amplify social-media campaigns for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while a Reliance-linked company made large political donations to the ruling party.
Musk had earlier addressed Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” on X and accused him of protecting a monopoly. He had also criticised the delay in Starlink's entry into the Indian market.
Reliance has not publicly responded to Musk's allegations. The government, meanwhile, has maintained that India's authorisation framework for telecommunications and satellite services is “fair and non-discriminatory”, describing suggestions of selective treatment as “baseless and misconceived”.
Ashwani Mahajan, national co-convenor of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), said India was within its rights to deny Starlink a licence if the company failed to address the government's security requirements.
“Blocking Starlink would send a message to trade partners like the US ... that India is certainly within its rights to block Starlink based on its genuine national security concerns,” Mahajan said.
He criticised Musk for making public remarks about Indian businesses and the government instead of responding to clarifications sought from the company on security grounds.
Mahajan said Starlink had applied for permission to launch and operate commercial satellite broadband services in India, but had neither received approval nor had its application rejected.
He suggested that Musk's statements could be an attempt to put public pressure on the government to secure a licence, or a response to frustration over regulatory requirements.
“It appears that Starlink is perhaps not prepared to meet those specific requirements,” Mahajan said in a statement.
The SJM also raised concerns about the implications of satellite internet for law enforcement and national security.
Mahajan said internet services were sometimes disrupted during separatist activities, terrorist attacks, riots and protests to maintain law and order. He argued that social media could fuel rumours and what he described as anti-national narratives during such situations.
He also questioned whether satellite-to-satellite laser links could allow Indian internet traffic to bypass domestic gateways and travel through foreign infrastructure, potentially making lawful monitoring and enforcement more difficult.
“The government wants Indian traffic routed through gateways within India,” he said.
Mahajan further warned that satellite internet could be used by hostile actors, smugglers and insurgent groups to communicate outside conventional telecommunications networks.
He said the organisation's concerns drew on experiences in countries including Ukraine, Iran, Russia, China, Taiwan, South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela and Sudan.
Mahajan cited the organisation's opposition to Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE participating in India's 5G trials as an example of its position on technology and security.
He said neither company received permission to conduct the trials after the SJM raised objections, and argued that Indian companies and scientists subsequently developed domestic 5G technology, known as 5Gi.
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The organisation maintained that denying Starlink a licence would not prevent India from offering satellite-based internet services.
Mahajan said indigenous providers could eventually deliver services at lower prices while meeting the government's security requirements. He argued that restrictions on Starlink could give domestic satellite internet services a boost and help extend affordable connectivity to remote areas.