Grameenphone Grapples with Grievances: Allegations of Exploitation, Espionage, and Employee Ejections
Over the past decade, Grameenphone has faced mounting allegations ranging from the dismissal of 3,360 employees, evasion of workers’ entitled five percent profit share, tax irregularities, data leakage, foreign remittance outflows, and network disruptions, to manipulation of internet services, customer lawsuits, and unfair market practices. Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina, its share price reportedly surged by 53 percent. Now, new concerns have emerged over the continued presence of three Indian nationals in key executive positions within Bangladesh’s largest telecom operator.
Despite appointing a Bangladeshi as Chief Executive Officer, questions persist about his alleged proximity to a particular political party. After serving at India’s Uninor between 2012 and 2015, the CEO assumed charge of Grameenphone, allegedly leveraging his family’s political influence to advance Indian dominance in the company. It was during his tenure that Indian Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) began to assert authority, replacing the Egyptian CTO, Mehdad El Husseini, who was forced out in 2018 after nearly four years of service.
Since the July uprising, concerns have grown over the continued roles of Indian nationals Jay Prakash (Chief Technology Officer), Dr. Niranjan Srinivasan (Chief Information Officer), and Vats Kaustav (Chief Procurement Officer), who are considered “a threat to national security” by former Grameenphone employees.
Jay Prakash, aged 56, joined Grameenphone in April 2022 from Telenor Myanmar with 26 years of experience. Dr. Niranjan Srinivasan, a graduate in Computer Technology from a Tamil Nadu university, was appointed CIO in September 2023. Before them, in September 2021, Vats Kaustav, a Symbiosis International University graduate from Pune, joined as CPO.
According to former Grameenphone Head of Operations Anowar M. Hossain, Indian nationals in such sensitive posts risk compromising Bangladesh’s digital sovereignty. He warned that “an Indian CTO overseeing network infrastructure and lawful interception could facilitate Pegasus infiltration, a CIO controlling customer data could channel calls, locations, and personal details abroad, while a CPO controlling procurement could introduce backdoors through vendors.”
Now employed with Amazon.com, Anowar raised concerns about “the link between foreign CXOs at Grameenphone and the potential use of Pegasus spyware, developed by Israel’s NSO Group, to undermine Bangladesh’s digital independence.”
He pointed out recent leaks of phone conversations involving former prime ministers, ministers, political leaders, and senior bureaucrats: “Such recordings are not possible for ordinary citizens. Lawful intercept systems can be abused to capture calls. Pegasus allows conversations to be extracted directly from phones. If foreign influence penetrates a telecom company, the risks multiply. This threatens not just journalists or opposition, but ministers, secretaries, security officers—virtually every citizen. Even secret meetings, policy decisions, or diplomatic talks could be transmitted to foreign servers in seconds.”
He added that a whistleblower had revealed direct collaboration on a Pegasus-related project inside Grameenphone, claiming that a powerful general—“General Zia”—was regularly seen at GP House, while “CEO Yasir Azman and other CXOs cooperated directly.” He questioned: “If this claim is true, did Telenor, the Norwegian parent company, know? Or did they turn a blind eye?”
Hossain also recalled that during 2004–2006, a former Indian CTO, Yogesh Mallik, was expelled from Bangladesh under allegations of working with Indian intelligence agencies. Several ex-employees corroborated his account, though current employees avoided comment, dismissing it as an “internal matter.”
Other dismissed workers echoed similar grievances. Kamrul Hasan, formerly of Dinajpur’s GP Service Center, alleged: “Despite 247 percent growth during COVID-19, we were terminated by a single email. Even after the Supreme Court ruled for the restoration of our rights, Grameenphone ignored the judgment.” He accused CEO Yasir Azman of introducing Indian CTOs, systematically laying off permanent staff, outsourcing operations to Indian contractors, and employing Wipro technology and Genex call centers that facilitated data leakage.
Critics argue that Grameenphone, a Telenor Asia subsidiary, was supposed to transfer responsibilities to local entities under a six-year agreement signed in 1992. Instead, loopholes have allowed the continued appointment of Indian nationals in sensitive CXO posts. Allegations against the company further include exploiting VOIP loopholes, acquiring Bangladesh Railway fiber optics at unfair rates, and resisting requisition of vehicles by police authorities.
Dismissals of “Best Employee” awardees, including Fazlul Karim Pinj and Ali Ahmed Tahqiq (son of late Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mujahid), further fueled criticism. Employees allege that political bias and legal shielding allowed mass layoffs, while lawsuits filed by workers have dragged on for over a decade. Former staff member Adiba Zerin stated: “For 15 years, Grameenphone has consistently violated workers’ rights. Those demanding dues face arrests, false cases, and police brutality. Today, the company behaves like a modern East India Company.”
Protests continue outside GP House, where ex-employees under the Grameenphone 5% Delayed Dues Unity Council have held peaceful sit-ins since December 2024. They allege repeated police crackdowns, including a violent baton charge and water cannon assault on February 25, 2025, followed by arbitrary arrests and harassment lawsuits against dozens of workers.
In response to queries on these allegations, Grameenphone’s Head of Communications, Sharfaruddin Ahmed Chowdhury, dismissed them as “completely baseless, fabricated, and motivated.” He stated: “Grameenphone operates in full compliance with the laws and regulations of Bangladesh. For 28 years, it has been the nation’s No. 1 network, trusted by over 86 million subscribers. As a leading taxpayer, contributing Tk 1,30,577 crore to the exchequer, and investing Tk 54,400 crore in capital expenditure, Grameenphone remains a model of foreign direct investment and corporate governance in Bangladesh.”
Chowdhury emphasized the company’s contribution to “digital inclusion, youth skills development, green energy adoption, and socio-economic progress,” while reiterating that as a multinational company, Grameenphone follows global recruitment standards and “maintains transparent and rigorous hiring practices.”
