Palak, NTMC responsible for internet shutdown: probe report

The mobile and broadband internet services faced shutdown during the recent quota reform movement at the verbal instruction of then state minister for posts, telecommunications and information technology and the NTMC, an organization affiliated to the home ministry.

A primary probe report submitted today to the Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministry revealed this, said an official handout.

It said that at the verbal instruction of State Minister (former) for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Engineer Md Mohiuddin Ahmed stopped and resumed the mobile internet service from July 15 to 16 and broadband internet service from July 18 to 23 and on August 5 without administrative approval.

Besides, the internet blackout and resumption of the services were carried out by the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) of the Home Affairs Ministry from July 17 to 28 and on August 5, the report said.

According to the primary report, torching data centre during the period has no relation to the internet blackout. Palak made falsehood and cheated the nation by relating the damage of data centre with the internet shutdown. Further investigation is underway in this regard.

Earlier, at the directive of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Adviser Md Nahid Islam, a seven-member probe body was formed to investigate the actual facts behind the nationwide internet blackout during the recent student protests. (BSS)