India has captial controls, which means the price can't be arbitraged downwards. Therefore if demand for bitcoin is high in India, there is going to be a premium paid.
Correct, its that the demand in India is higher that why the need to buy it in premium price. There was only once instances where the price of bitcoin in South Korea is like $100 higher back then. So this is not the first time that we are seeing this kind of difference in the current price.
...and I forgot to add that they have one of the most unstable currencies in the world. It makes sense if people are flipping to Bitcoin.
that doesn't make any sense at all! usability of a currency is defined within the boarders of the country not globally. of course being able to use it globally is a perk but "citizens" don't care as long as they can pay for their daily needs with their currency at hand!
and i assure you there are a lot of other currencies such as USD and EUR before they "flip for bitcoin".
this higher price and huge volume only shows that Indian know the real value and the potential of bitcoin.
I'm not sure India has already lifted its demonetization program to end corruption. If not then it make sense to go to bitcoin. Because the source of fiat is very limited. And maybe this is one impact of the program, Indians started to flock the bitcoin market and as a result the price peak and can be bought at a premium.