People take part in a protest march against the mass arrest and killing of protesters during last week’s violence amid anti-qouta protests, in Dhaka on July 28, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

The mobile internet connection was restored in Bangladesh on July 28, 10 days after it was shut down by the authorities across the country to stop the spread of fake news on social media amidst the deadly nationwide violence over reforms in the quota system in government jobs.

Addressing a press conference in Dhaka, Minister of State for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak announced that 5GB internet will be given for free to all users for three days after the connection is restored, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

The mobile internet connectivity was restored at around 3 p.m. local time.

Users of Robi, Grameenphone, Banglalink and other operators in Dhaka said they could access the internet through their phones around 3 p.m., the report said.

On July 18, the government shut down mobile internet following the escalation of violence across the country.

At the time, Mr. Palak said the decision was made “in light of the current crisis in the country and to stop the spread of fake news on social media”, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

The next day, amid escalating violence, the Department of Disaster Management building was set on fire, adjacent to which was a data centre. While Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) officials said that the fire might cut 30-40% of the bandwidth supply, broadband internet connection for the entire country was disrupted within an hour.

Bangladesh stayed disconnected from both broadband and mobile internet between July 18 and July 23, when broadband internet was restored in stages.

However, mobile internet remained unavailable until Sunday.

Also read | Bangladesh student group vows to resume protests if demands not met

Regarding access to social media platforms, Mr. Palak said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has sent letters to authorities of social media platforms, including Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube.

“Their representatives have to come to Dhaka by July 31 to give explanations. Then, after discussing it with them, we will make a decision,” he said.

The BTRC is responsible for regulating all matters related to telecommunications in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh witnessed violent clashes between the police and mostly student protesters demanding an end to a controversial quota system that reserved 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971.

The internet and mobile services were snapped following the countrywide violence.

On Monday last, the apex court slashed the veterans’ quota to just 5%. Thus, 93% of civil service jobs will be merit-based while the remaining 2% reserved for members of ethnic minorities, transgender and physically challenged people.

The violence has reportedly killed more than 100 people, according to local newspapers. However, there are no official figures available for deaths.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday defended her decision to enforce a curfew with a shoot-on-sight order following the clashes, asserting that tough measures were taken to ensure the security of the lives and properties of the people.

Bangladesh crawled back to normalcy on Wednesday with rush hour traffic returning to streets in the capital, and limited reopening of banks, garment factories and internet services.

People take part in a protest march against the mass arrest and killing of protesters during last week’s violence amid anti-qouta protests, in Dhaka on July 28, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

The mobile internet connection was restored in Bangladesh on July 28, 10 days after it was shut down by the authorities across the country to stop the spread of fake news on social media amidst the deadly nationwide violence over reforms in the quota system in government jobs.

Addressing a press conference in Dhaka, Minister of State for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak announced that 5GB internet will be given for free to all users for three days after the connection is restored, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

The mobile internet connectivity was restored at around 3 p.m. local time.

Users of Robi, Grameenphone, Banglalink and other operators in Dhaka said they could access the internet through their phones around 3 p.m., the report said.

On July 18, the government shut down mobile internet following the escalation of violence across the country.

At the time, Mr. Palak said the decision was made “in light of the current crisis in the country and to stop the spread of fake news on social media”, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

The next day, amid escalating violence, the Department of Disaster Management building was set on fire, adjacent to which was a data centre. While Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) officials said that the fire might cut 30-40% of the bandwidth supply, broadband internet connection for the entire country was disrupted within an hour.

Bangladesh stayed disconnected from both broadband and mobile internet between July 18 and July 23, when broadband internet was restored in stages.

However, mobile internet remained unavailable until Sunday.

Also read | Bangladesh student group vows to resume protests if demands not met

Regarding access to social media platforms, Mr. Palak said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has sent letters to authorities of social media platforms, including Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube.

“Their representatives have to come to Dhaka by July 31 to give explanations. Then, after discussing it with them, we will make a decision,” he said.

The BTRC is responsible for regulating all matters related to telecommunications in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh witnessed violent clashes between the police and mostly student protesters demanding an end to a controversial quota system that reserved 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971.

The internet and mobile services were snapped following the countrywide violence.

On Monday last, the apex court slashed the veterans’ quota to just 5%. Thus, 93% of civil service jobs will be merit-based while the remaining 2% reserved for members of ethnic minorities, transgender and physically challenged people.

The violence has reportedly killed more than 100 people, according to local newspapers. However, there are no official figures available for deaths.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday defended her decision to enforce a curfew with a shoot-on-sight order following the clashes, asserting that tough measures were taken to ensure the security of the lives and properties of the people.

Bangladesh crawled back to normalcy on Wednesday with rush hour traffic returning to streets in the capital, and limited reopening of banks, garment factories and internet services.

In this December 28, 2017, file photo, Bangladesh’s former PM and Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia, center, leaves after a court appearance in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
| Photo Credit: AP

Bangladeshi doctors said on October 9 opposition leader Khaleda Zia was at “high risk” of dying without urgent medical intervention abroad after authorities rejected a plea to let her leave the country.

Ms. Zia, 78, is a two-time former Prime Minister who heads the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and has been living under effective house arrest since her release from a 17-year prison sentence in 2020.

She has advanced liver cirrhosis, diabetes and heart problems and the government of her bitter rival, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, last week rejected a family request to allow her to travel to Germany for a liver transplant.

Also Read: Bangladesh bars ill opposition leader from healthcare abroad

Ms. Zia and Ms. Hasina, 77 are known as the Battling Begums of Bangladesh politics and their internecine rivalry has dominated the politics of the South Asian nation of 170 million people for over four decades.

A panel of 17 doctors who treated Ms. Zia at a top private hospital in the Bangladeshi capital for the last two months backed the family, saying her condition was deteriorating.

“She’s at high risk of death,” hepatologist Nooruddin Ahmad told reporters.

The group said she had developed infections and breathing problems, and its head, F. M. Siddiqui, added that all options in Bangladesh “have come to an end, we cannot do anything more”.

The country is gearing up for general elections due in January, and Ms. Zia’s death would likely trigger huge opposition protests.

Ms. Hasina faces mounting pressure from Western powers to hold free and fair elections, which could set the stage for a comeback by Ms. Zia’s resurgent BNP.

The U.S., the EU and rights groups have expressed concern over the political climate in a country where Ms. Hasina has been in power for the last 15 years and her Awami League party dominates the legislature, running it virtually as a rubber stamp.

In 2018, Ms. Zia was sentenced to 17 years in prison for graft, and jailed for two years before being released under heavy restrictions. She has rejected the charges as politically motivated.

Kayser Kamal, legal chief for BNP, slammed the government’s decision to bar her from leaving as an act of “political vengeance”.