The probe committee formed by the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology has reported that former State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak verbally instructed the shutdown of the internet during the nationwide quota reform protests.
According to the initial report from the committee, Palak fabricated stories about data centers burning down and other issues as a cover-up. The report claims that no such incidents occurred and that Palak, along with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the National Telecommunications Monitoring Center (NTMC), was involved in the internet shutdown.
The ministry released a statement summarising the findings of the report on Tuesday.
Advisor Nahid Islam had previously given a 24-hour deadline on 11 August for a report on those responsible for the nationwide internet shutdown.
The preliminary findings indicate that administrative approval from the Department of Posts and Telecommunications was not obtained for the mobile internet shutdown on 15 and 16 July, the broadband internet disruptions from 18 to 23 July, and the 5 August shutdown. The incident reportedly occurred under the verbal orders of former Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak and the direction of BTRC Chairman Md. Mohiuddin Ahmed.
